untitled

Robert Kushner, artist

born 1949

untitled, circa 1980

Portfolio/Series title: Artifacts at the End of a Decade

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: acrylic; paper; laminating; cloth

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 364 x 432 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 14 5/16 x 17 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: National Endowment for the Arts and Mr. and Mrs. Francisco Drohojowski

Accession number: 1989.0005.23

Not on display

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Power Clashing: Clothing, Collage, and Contemporary Identities

Like Miriam Schapiro, whose work is also on display, Robert Kushner developed his colorful collage style in the mid-1970s. Both artists helped shape the American art movement Pattern and Decoration, or P&D, which emerged as a response to the prevailing artistic trend of minimalism. In opposition to the sleek geometric forms, industrial materials, and austerity advocated by minimalist practitioners, P&D members embraced ornamentation, color, and experimentation with multiple materials. Kushner’s small collage represents this approach as it combines found materials consisting of wrapping paper and a boldly patterned piece of upholstery fabric, along with the handmade addition of a painted female face.