City Interior
Artist
Charles Sheeler
American, 1883–1965
Date1936
Mediumaqueous adhesive and oil on composition board
Dimensionspanel: 56.2 x 68.4 cm (22 1/8 x 26 15/16 in.)
framed: 77.6 × 92.7 cm (30 9/16 × 36 1/2 in.)
framed: 77.6 × 92.7 cm (30 9/16 × 36 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsDrawings
Credit LineElizabeth M. Sawyer Fund in memory of Jonathan and Elizabeth M. Sawyer
Object number1937.3
Label TextIn 1927, the Ford Motor Company commissioned Sheeler—a successful photographer and
painter—to shoot an advertising campaign. The
photos he took of Ford’s River Rouge plant near
Dearborn, Michigan, inspired this painting.
Fascinated by the scale and technology of the
factory complex, Sheeler delighted in the geometric
web of structures, ducts, tracks, and girders—all
rendered with a crisp realism. A few tiny workers
provide the only human element in this otherwise
pristine environment. Bathed in bright sunlight, City
Interior expresses an optimistic view of industrial
progress in the midst of America’s Great
Depression.ProvenanceDowntown Gallery, New York NY
On View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 4001
