The Clown

1959

Kenneth Noland

Associated Names
Kenneth Noland

Artist, American, 1924 - 2010

This painting depicts several rings encircling a central circle shape that is divided into segments. The central circle is divided into a blue semicircle and a green semicircle, separated by a wide strip of white. There are small dots in the circle; a black dot in the blue section is the highest, and a yellow dot in the white section is at the exact center of the painting, with one red dot below it and another to the right. Surrounding the circle is an irregular thick ring made of overlapping chunks of white, black, red, and yellow. Around that strip is a light blue ring, and around that is a black ring, with one strip of light pink in the bottom left. Outside of the last layer is plain, off-white paper, which also shows through in some gaps in the different rings.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Wetmore

  • Dimensions

    overall: 117.2 x 116.9 cm (46 1/8 x 46 in.)
    framed: 118.7 x 118.4 x 4.4 cm (46 3/4 x 46 5/8 x 1 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1975.98.1


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Wetmore, Potomac, Maryland; gift 1975 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1976

  • New Accessions, U.S.A. - 1976, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 1976.

1981

  • Center Ring: The Artist. An Exhibition of Two Centuries of Circus Art, Milwaukee Art Center; Columbus Museum of Art; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1981-1982.

Bibliography

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 202, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 248, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: Kenneth Noland / 1959

Wikidata ID

Q20195245

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