Lions on the Dreyfus Fund III
<p>Trained as a jazz saxophonist, Larry Rivers discovered a parallel in and an innate talent for painting early on as well. Equally cerebral, sentimental, and provocative, he is considered a key proto-Pop artist—bridging the gap between the painterly gestures of Abstract Expressionism, dominant during the 1950s, and Pop Art’s pointed return to figuration during the 1960s. Rivers was at the height of his renown by 1964, having introduced found objects and imagery, including stencils and other forms of lettering, into his canvases. The composition of Lions on the Dreyfus Fund III is at once complex and diffuse: striding lions, jostling letters, floating tails, and muscular brushstrokes achieve a lateral push and pull. Through its title and its legible content this work refers to the Dreyfus Fund, a mutual fund broker that has featured lions prominently in its advertisements and corporate logo.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1964
- Medium
- Oil and paper on canvas
- Dimensions
- 105.4 × 199.3 cm (41 1/2 × 78 1/2 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Larry Rivers
Artist
Printmaking
A key transitional figure in postwar art, Larry Rivers imaginatively integrated the gestural spontaneity of abstract expressionism and the punchy irony of Pop.
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More by Larry Rivers
Untitled from Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror
1983 · Photogravure with hand additions from an illustrated book with four lithographs, one offset lithograph, one woodcut, one etching with aquatint, one photogravure with hand additions, and one record
Polish Rider
1982 · Color lithgraph on white wove paper
15 Years (poster)
1976 · Color lithograph on buff wove paper
An Outline of History from Kent Bicentennial Portfolio: Spirit of Independence
1975 · Lithograph and screenprint from a portfolio of six lithographs, four screenprints (one with collage additions), and two lithograph and screenprints
Untitled from Homage to Picasso (Hommage à Picasso)
1974 · Screenprint from a portfolio of thirty-one lithographs (one with aquatint, one with collotype, one with screenprint), twenty-two screenprints (one with embossing, one with flocking, one with stencil), eleven etchings (five with aquatint, one with aquatint and drypoint, one with aquatint, drypoint, and engraving), three aquatints (one with etching), and two woodcuts
Untitled, from The New York Collection for Stockholm
1973 · Lithograph and four-color silkcreen on ivory wove paper
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Larry Rivers
- Year
- 1964
- Medium
- Oil and paper on canvas
- Dimensions
- 105.4 × 199.3 cm (41 1/2 × 78 1/2 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1964-125738
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified