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Among the most celebrated of the Abstract Expressionist painters in the 1950s and early 1960s, Philip Guston bracketed his career with paintings devoted to the figure. In the 1940s, he painted scenes of battling figures to reflect the horrors of World War II. Late in life, Guston returned to these images, as demonstrated in this eloquent self-portrait, which can be understood as a meditation on mortality and memory.
Dominating the composition is the figure of the artist, shown lying in bed. Behind him is a horse, which can be understood as a literal nightmare. On the left are scattered cigarettes and alcohol bottles, reminders of the bad habits Guston was forced to abandon as his health failed. The trash-can lid, which stands like a shield in the center of the composition, and the sparring clubs and fists suggest ongoing battles that populate the artist's dreams and psyche.
ProvenanceThe artist; [David McKee Gallery, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1988.
Exhibition History"Philip Guston: Memorial Exhibition," David McKee Gallery, New York, October 1980.
"Philip Guston Retrospective," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, June–September 1981.
"Philip Guston," Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina, February 11–April 6, 1986; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, May 17–July 27, 1986; Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta.
"Direction and Diversity: Twentieth Century Art in the Museum Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 21–September 3, 1988.
"Pop Art: The Object Transformed," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 28–December 29, 1991.
"Modern and Contemporary Art: Spotlight on the Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 7–August 27, 2000.
"Against the Current: 20th Century Representational Art in the Collection of the MFAH," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 7, 2006–September 2, 2007.
"Modern and Contemporary Masterworks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 8, 2007–March 2, 2008.
"Philip Guston Now," Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, May 1–September 11, 2022; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 23, 2022–January 15, 2023; National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., February 26–August 27, 2023; Tate Modern, London, October 3, 2023–February 4 2024. (OL.1409)
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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