Artist
Max Yavno (American, 1911–1985)American, 1911–1985
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Two Men on a Tank
Date1947, printed later
PlaceUnited States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 13 5/16 × 10 3/8 in. (33.8 × 26.4 cm)
Sheet: 13 5/16 × 10 3/8 in. (33.8 × 26.4 cm)
Mount: 19 15/16 × 16 in. (50.6 × 40.6 cm)
Sheet: 13 5/16 × 10 3/8 in. (33.8 × 26.4 cm)
Mount: 19 15/16 × 16 in. (50.6 × 40.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Mundy Companies
Object number81.63
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
A native New Yorker, Max Yavno joined the Photo League in 1938 while he
was working as a photographer for the Federal Works Progress Administration.
Yavno was an active member of the League until he was drafted into the U.S.
Army in 1941. Following World War II, Yavno relocated to San Francisco.
Although he left the League, its humanistic sensibilities and concern for the
working class continued to influence his photography. Here, Yavno’s mastery of
dark tones and subtle highlights accentuate the metal oil tanks’ enormity while
maintaining focus on the men working precariously above them.
Provenance[G. Ray Hawkins Gallery, Beverly Hills, California]; purchased by MFAH, 1981.
Exhibition History"The 150th Anniversary of the Invention of Photography: Prague 1989," August 1–September 30, 1989.
"Evocative Presence: Twentieth Century Photographs in the Museum Collection", The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston February 27–May 1, 1988.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed in pencil, mount verso, bottom left corner: 2486-c
Signed in pencil, mount verso, bottom right below image: Yavno
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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