NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, DC—Before consulting the exhibition labels, the relationship between the mysterious woman peering out of a window from behind a sheer drape and the man tooling about on some kind of industrial vehicle was evident. The connection? Both works are by George Segal (1924-2000) and adhere to the approach for which the Pop artist is best known: white ghostly, plaster cast figures in ordinary settings created with salvaged objects. The intriguing mixed-media sculptures were spotted on recent visits to the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. (“The Curtain”) and the Museum of Modern Art in New York (“The Bus Driver”).
All photos © Arts Observer
Above, At the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, “The Curtain,” 1974 (mixed-media plaster, glass, painted wood and fabric). Top of page, “The Bus Driver.”
Installation view of “The Curtain.”
Rear detail view of “The Curtain.”
At the Museum of Modern Art in New York, “The Bus Driver,” 1962 (plaster over cheesecloth and bus parts including coin box, steering wheel, driver’s seat, railing and dashboard, over wood and cinder blocks).
Side view of “The Bus Driver.”