Fourth of July Still Life
Artist/Culture
Audrey Flack
(American, born 1931)
Date1975
Mediumcolor screenprint
Dimensions91.9 x 91.9 cm (36 3/16 x 36 3/16 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineGift of Lorillard, Division of Loews Theatres, Inc.
Object number1976.140
Label TextFlack crowds her screenprint with patriotic ornaments in a glossy flourish of Americana. Displayed in excess, the decorations take on dual standing as icons of national reverence and tacky commodities. The kitschy souvenirs: plastic beads, paper bunting, and fireworks vie for attention beside toy-sized statues and a tiny Liberty Bell. The composition’s bright colors and shallow depth further emphasize the superficiality of these embellishments. Notably, the mostly plastic figures Flack mythologizes are all white men tied to wars. The absence of women and people of color signals their marginalized status in the larger American historical narrative.ProvenanceLorillard, Division of Loews Theatres, Inc. New York, NYOn View
Not on view
