Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930. Oil on composition board, 30 3⁄4 x 25 3⁄4 in. (78 x 65.3 cm). Art Institute of Chicago; Friends of American Art Collection 1930.934. © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph courtesy Art Institute of Chicago/Art Resource, NY
Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables
Mar 2–June 10, 2018
Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930. Oil on composition board, 30 3⁄4 x 25 3⁄4 in. (78 x 65.3 cm). Art Institute of Chicago; Friends of American Art Collection 1930.934. © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph courtesy Art Institute of Chicago/Art Resource, NY
Grant Wood's American Gothic—the double portrait of a pitchfork-wielding farmer and a woman commonly presumed to be his wife—is perhaps the most recognizable painting in 20th century American art, an indelible icon of Americana, and certainly Wood's most famous artwork. But Wood's career consists of far more than one single painting. Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables brings together the full range of his art, from his early Arts and Crafts decorative objects and Impressionist oils through his mature paintings, murals, and book illustrations. The exhibition reveals a complex, sophisticated artist whose image as a farmer-painter was as mythical as the fables he depicted in his art. Wood sought pictorially to fashion a world of harmony and prosperity that would answer America's need for reassurance at a time of economic and social upheaval occasioned by the Depression. Yet underneath its bucolic exterior, his art reflects the anxiety of being an artist and a deeply repressed homosexual in the Midwest in the 1930s. By depicting his subconscious anxieties through populist images of rural America, Wood crafted images that speak both to American identity and to the estrangement and isolation of modern life.
This exhibition is organized by Barbara Haskell, Curator, with Sarah Humphreville, Senior Curatorial Assistant.
Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables is sponsored by Bank of America.
Major foundation support is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Major support is also provided by the Barbara Haskell American Fellows Legacy Fund.
Significant support is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston; The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts; and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Generous support is provided by John and Mary Pappajohn and the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Events
View all-
Sun,
June 10
Grant Wood’s Artwork, Dream-Work, and Literary Work
3 pm
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Sun,
June 10
Weekend Early Admission for Members
9:30–10:30 am
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Sat,
June 9
Weekend Early Admission for Members
9:30–10:30 am
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Wed,
May 16
Spotlight Tour: Grant Wood and the Whitney’s Collection
7:15 pm
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Wed,
May 16
Spotlight Tour: Grant Wood and the Whitney’s Collection
6:45 pm
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Sun,
May 13
Mother's Day Tour and Brunch
9:30 am
Audio Guides
Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930. Oil on composition board, 30 3⁄4 x 25 3⁄4 in. (78 x 65.3 cm). Art Institute of Chicago; Friends of American Art Collection 1930.934. © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph courtesy Art Institute of Chicago/Art Resource, NY
Hear directly from artists and curators on selected works from the exhibition.
Installation Photography
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right, top to bottom: Four Seasons Lunettes: Summer, 1923; Delphiniums in a White Vase, 1929; Sunlit Studio, c. 1925–26; The Runners, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, 1924; Van Antwerp Place, 1922–23; Corn Cob Chandelier for Iowa Corn Room, 1925; Fire Screen Ornament, c. 1929–30; Four Seasons Lunettes: Spring, 1923; The First Three Degrees of Freemasonry, 1921; Adoration of the Home, 1921–22; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Volunds Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Tea Pot, from Four Piece Coffee and Tea Set, c. 1914. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right, top to bottom: Four Seasons Lunettes: Winter, 1923; Hanging Lampshade with Peacock Motif, c. 1910–20; Decorative Landscape with Crocuses, 1912; Four Seasons Lunettes: Autumn, 1923. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Four Seasons Lunettes: Autumn, 1923; Overmantel Decoration, 1930; Corn Cob Chandelier for Iowa Corn Room, 1925; Four Seasons Lunettes: Summer, 1923. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right, top to bottom: Four Seasons Lunettes: Spring, 1923; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Tea Pot, from Four Piece Coffee and Tea Set, c. 1914; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Volund Crafts Shop Bowl, c. 1914–15; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Hors d’oeuvres tray, c. 1914; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Small Copper Tea Kettle, 1910s; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Coffee Pot, from Four Piece Coffee and Tea Set, c. 1914; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Creamer, from Four Piece Coffee and Tea Set, c. 1914; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Sugar Bowl, from Four Piece Coffee and Tea Set, c. 1914; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Server, 1914–15; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Volund Crafts Shop Silver Pitcher, c. 1914–15. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right, top to bottom: Four Lunettes: Summer, 1923; Half-size re-creation of Memorial Window (1928), Veterans Memorial Building, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2018; Fire Screen Ornament, c. 1929–30; Corn Cob Chandelier for Iowa Corn Room, 1925; Four Seasons Lunettes: Spring, 1923; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Tea Pot, from Four Piece Coffee and Tea Set, c. 1914; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Volund Crafts Shop Bowl, c. 1914–15; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Hors d’oeuvres tray, c. 1914; Lilies of the Alley, 1925; Small Copper Tea Kettle, 1910s; Volund Crafts Shop (Grant Wood and Kristoffer Haga), Coffee Pot, from Four Piece Coffee and Tea Set, c. 1914. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Decorative Landscape with Crocuses, 1912; Hanging Lampshade with Peacock Motif, c. 1910–20; Four Seasons Lunettes: Autumn, 1923; Overmantel Decoration, 1930. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Solider in the War of 1812, 1927; Overmantel Decoration, 1930; Delphiniums in a White Vase, 1929. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: The Runners, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, 1924; Van Antwerp Place, 1922–23; Market Place, Nuremberg, 1928; Plaid Sweater, 1931; Arnold Comes of Age (Portrait of Arnold Pyle), 1930; Half-size re-creation of Memorial Window (1928) Veterans Memorial Building, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2018; Woman with Plants, 1929; The First Three Degrees of Freemasonry, 1921. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Sunlit Studio, c. 1925–26; The Runners, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, 1924; Van Antwerp Place, 1922–23; Market Place, Nuremberg, 1928; Plaid Sweater, 1931; Half-size re-creation of Memorial Window (1928), Veterans Memorial Building, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2018. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: The First Three Degrees of Freemasonry, 1921; Adoration of the Home, 1921–22. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Delphiniums in a White Case, 1929; Sunlit Studio, c. 1925–26; The Runners, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, 1924; Van Antwerp Place, 1922–23; Market Place, Nuremberg, 1928. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Grant Wood (1981-1942), American Gothic, 1930 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York). Oil on composition board, 30 3/4 × 25 3/4 in. (78 × 65.3 cm). Art Institute of Chicago; Friends of American Art Collection 1930.934. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Woman with Plants, 1929; Victorian Survival, 1931. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Plaid Sweater, 1931; Arnold Comes of Age (Portrait of Arnold Pyle); Portrait of John B. Turner, Pioneer, 1928/1930. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Daughters of Revolution, 1932; Victorian Survival, 1931. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Portrait of Nan, 1931; The Return from Bohemia, 1935; Daughter of Revolution, 1932. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939; Study for Agricultural Science Mural, 1934; Portrait of Nan, 1931; Appraisal, 1931. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939; Farmer’s Wife with Chickens, 1932; Farmer with Pigs and Corn, 1932; Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939; Study for Dinner for Threshers (right section), 1934; Portrait of Nan, 1931; Self-Portrait, 1932/1941. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Plowing, 1936; Sultry Night, 1939; July Fifteenth, 1938; Shrine Quartet, 1939; Woman Tending Goose and Chickens, 1938; Vase with Woman Tending a Goose and Chickens, 1939. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Agricultural Science Mural, 1934; Portrait of Nan, 1931; Appraisal, 1931; Daughters of Revolution, 1932. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Self-Portrait, 1932/1941; Appraisal, 1931; The Return from Bohemia, 1935. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, 1931; Study for Adolescence, 1933; The American Golfer, 1940; Plowing, 1936. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Adolescence, 1933; Study for Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939; Plowing, 1936; Self-Portrait, 1932/1941. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Grant Wood (1891-1942), The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, 1931 (installation view, Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). Oil on composition board, 30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1950. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: The Return from Bohemia, 1935; Spring Plowing (Textile Design), c. 1939; Grant Wood Lounge Chair and Ottoman for Grant Wood Lounge Chair, 1938. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939; Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: The American Golfer, 1940; Study for Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939; Farmer’s Wife with Chickens, 1932; Parsons Weems’ Fable, 1939. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: The American Golfer, 1940; Study for Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Boy Milking Cow, 1932; Farmer’s Wife with Chickens, 1932; Farmer with Pigs and Corn, 1932. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Breaking the Prairie, 1935–39; Portrait of John B. Turner, Pioneer, 1928/1930; Boy Milking Cow, 1932. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Boy Milking Cow, 1932; Farmer’s Wife with Chickens, 1932; Farmer with Pigs and Corn, 1932; Dinner for Threshers, 1934. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Dinner for Threshers, 1934; Study for Dinner for Threshers (left section), 1933; Study for Dinner for Threshers (right section), 1933; Study for Agricultural Science Mural, 1934. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Agricultural Science Mural, 1934; Video documentation of When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Follow (1934) and Breaking the Prairie (1936–37), 2018. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Video documentation of When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Follow (1934) and Breaking the Prairie (1936–37), 2018; Study for Breaking the Prairie, 1935–39. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Fertility, 1939; Video documentation of When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Follow (1934) and Breaking the Prairie (1936-37), 2018; Study for Breaking the Prairie, 1935–39; Portrait of Nan, 1931. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Dinner for Threshers (left section), 1933; Study for Dinner for Threshers (right section), 1933; Study for Agricultural Science Mural, 1934; Study for Tree Planting Group, 1937; Video documentation of When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Follow (1934) and Breaking the Prairie (1936–37), 2018. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Agricultural Science Mural, 1934; Study for Tree Planting Group, 1937; Plowing on Sunday, 1934; Sketch for Approaching Storm, 1940; Video documentation of When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Follow (1934) and Breaking the Prairie (1936–37), 2018; Grandpa Eating Popcorn, 1935; Hired Girl (Hired Girl and Apples), 1935; Study for Breaking the Prairie, 1935–39. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Tree Planting Group, 1937; Plowing on Sunday, 1934; Sketch for Approaching Storm, 1940; Study for In the Spring, 1939; Fertility, 1939; Fall Plowing, 1931; Stone City, 1930. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for In the Spring, 1939; Fertility, 1939; Arbor Day, 1932; Near Sundown, 1933; Young Corn, 1931; Saturday Night Bath, 1937; March, 1940. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Breaking the Prairie, 1935–39; January, 1938; Study for February, 1941; Study for Agricultural Science Mural, 1934. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Saturday Night Bath, 1937; March, 1940. Clockwise from top left: The Perfectionist, 1936; Main Street Mansion, 1936; The Radical, 1936; The Good Influence, 1936; The Sentimental Yearner, 1936; Village Slums, 1936–37; General Practitioner, 1936; Booster, 1936; The Practical Idealist, 1936. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018); Clockwise from top left: The Perfectionist, 1936; Main Street Mansion, 1936; The Radical, 1936; The Good Influence, 1936; The Sentimental Yearner, 1936; Village Slums, 1936–37; General Practitioner, 1936; Booster, 1936; The Practical Idealist, 1936. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for Tree Planting Group, 1937; Plowing on Sunday, 1934; Sketch for Approaching Storm, 1940; Study for In the Spring, 1939. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Woman Tending Goose and Chickens, 1938; Vase with Woman Tending a Goose and Chickens, 1939; Study for Tree Planting Group, 1937; Plowing on Sunday, 1934; Sketch for Approaching Storm, 1940; Study for In the Spring, 1939; Clockwise from top left: Thomas Duncan, O, Chautauqua, 1935; Vardis Fisher, In Tragic Life, 1932; Vardis Fisher, Passions Spin the Plot, 1934; Kenneth Roberts, Oliver Wiswell, 1940; Madeline Darrough Horn, Farm on the Hill, 1936; Sinclair Lewis, Main Street, 1920 (reprinted 1937); Time, September 23, 1940. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). Clockwise from top left: Thomas Duncan, O, Chautauqua, 1935; Vardis Fisher, In Tragic Life, 1932; Vardis Fisher, Passions Spin the Plot, 1934; Kenneth Roberts, Oliver Wiswell, 1940; Madeline Darrough Horn, Farm on the Hill, 1936; Sinclair Lewis, Main Street, 1920 (reprinted 1937); Time, September 23, 1940; Grandpa Eating Popcorn, 1935; Saturday Night, 1935; Grandma Mending, 1935; Farmer Eating Lunch, 1935; Spilt Milk, 1935; Hired Girl (Hired Girl with Apples), 1935. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). Clockwise from top left: Thomas Duncan, O, Chautauqua, 1935; Vardis Fisher, In Tragic Life, 1932; Vardis Fisher, Passions Spin the Plot, 1934; Kenneth Roberts, Oliver Wiswell, 1940; Madeline Darrough Horn, Farm on the Hill, 1936; Sinclair Lewis, Main Street, 1920 (reprinted 1937); Time, September 23, 1940; Grandpa Eating Popcorn, 1935; Saturday Night, 1935; Grandma Mending, 1935; Farmer Eating Lunch, 1935; Spilt Milk, 1935; Hired Girl (Hired Girl with Apples), 1935; From top to bottom: Spring Plowing (Textile Design), c. 1939; Grant Wood Lounge Chair and Ottoman for Grant Wood Lounge Chair, 1938. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Plaid Sweater, 1931; Arnold Comes of Age (Portrait of Arnold Pyle), 1930; Portrait of John B. Turner, Pioneer, 1928/1930; American Gothic, 1930. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Grant Wood (1891-1942), Re-creation of Imagination Isles (1924–25), 2017. Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 388 in. (30.5 x 858.5 cm). Original collection of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, Iowa; on loan to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Iowa. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Grant Wood (1891-1942), Re-creation of Imagination Isles (1924–25), 2017. Acrylic on canvas, 12 × 388 in. (30.5 × 858.5 cm). Original collection of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, Iowa; on loan to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Iowa. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Stone City, 1930; Arbor Day, 1932; Near Sundown, 1933; Young Corn, 1931; Rural Landscape, c. 1931; Iowa Landscape, 1941. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 1931; Fall Plowing, 1931; Stone City, 1930; Arbor Day, 1932; Near Sundown, 1933. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 1931; Sketch No. 3, Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 1931; Study for Breaking the Prairie, 1935–39; January, 1938; Study for February, 1941. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Study for The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 1931; Sketch No. 3, Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 1931. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Rural Landscape, c. 1931; Iowa Landscape, 1941; Spring Turning, 1936; Death on the Ridge Road, 1935; Study for The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 1931. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Spring in the Country, 1941; Haying, 1939; New Road, 1939; January, 1940–41. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Stone City, 1930; Arbor Day, 1932; Spring in the Country, 1941; Haying, 1939; New Road, 1939; January, 1940–41. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Spring Plowing, 1932; Spring in Town, 1941; Study for Spring in the Country, 1941. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: Spring Turning, 1936; Death on the Ridge Road, 1935. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: American Gothic, 1930; The American Golfer, 1940; Study for Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939; Woman with Plants, 1929. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, March 2–June 10, 2018). From left to right: American Gothic, 1930; The American Golfer, 1940; Study for Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939. © Estate of Grant Wood/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Exhibition Catalogue
This comprehensive study of Grant Wood provides new insight into the career of one of the key figures of twentieth-century American art. Exploring Wood’s oeuvre from a variety of perspectives, the catalogue presents the artist’s work in all of its subtle complexity and eschews the idea that Wood can be categorized simply as a Regionalist painter.
The excerpt featured here includes a selection from Barbara Haskell’s overview essay as well as a preview of the plate section and illustrated chronology.
In the News
“A new exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art reveals the complexities of the Iowa-born Wood.”
—The Wall Street Journal
"Feels right on time."
—The New Yorker
"Wood was much more than American Gothic."
—artnet
“As this exhibition demonstrates, he is an artist fated to be perpetually rediscovered.”
—The Washington Post
“Wood had altogether weirder, more singular ambitions than any of his modernist counterparts.”
—Artforum
“A fascinating retrospective.”
—WNYC
"This is no regionalist proponent of clean, country living but an artist of a much darker and more sensual vision, one for whom normalcy was delightfully perverse."
—The Art Newspaper
“It will be a surprise for people who think they know Grant Wood.”
—The New York Times
"The most extensive Grant Wood exhibition that's ever been mounted."
—CBS News