The Plow and the Song, 1946

Inscription

lower right: A. Gorky

Marks and Labels

None.

Provenance

Estate of the artist; to Julien Levy Gallery, New York, 1947; to Julien Levy, Bridgewater Connecticut, 1949; to Estate of Arshile Gorky, by 1953; to Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, May 13, 1953; to Elvine "V.V." [Magruder] and Paul Scott Rankine, Washington, DC;by October 29, 1955; to Stephen Mazoh & Co., New York. after 1966; purchased 1971 by NGA with funds from the Avalon Foundation.

Exhibition History

1978

American Art at Mid-Century: The Subjects of the Artist, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., June 1, 1978–January 14, 1979, as "The Plow and the Song".

1981

Arshile Gorky 1904–1948: A Retrospective, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, April 24–July 19, 1981, no. 202, ill. in b/w, p. 224, as "Study for The Plow and the Song".

1981

Contemporary American Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1981, unnumbered brochure.

1986

Graphics Survey Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., October 1986.

1995

Arshile Gorky: The Breakthrough Years, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 1995-1996, no. 38, repro. (shown only in Washington and Ft. Worth).

2001

A Century of Drawing, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001-2002, no. 79.

2003

Arshile Gorky Drawings Retrospective, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Menil Collection, Houston, 2003-2004, no. 100.

2009

Arshile Gorky, A Retrospective, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Tate Modern, London; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2009-2010, no. 146, repro. (shown only in Philadelphia).

Bibliography

1978

Carmean, E.A., Jr. and Eliza E. Rathbone. American Art at Mid-Century: The Subjects of the Artist. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, 1978: fig.13.

1981

Waldman, D., Arshile Gorky, 1904-1948 : a retrospective. New York, 1981: 202.

1984

Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 686, no. 1109, color repro.

1995

Arshile Gorky: The Breakthrough Years. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 1995-1996: no. 38.

2001

A Century of Drawing. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001-2002: no. 79.

2009

Taylor, Michael R. ed. Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective. Exh. cat., Philadelphia Museum of Art; Tate Modern, London, England; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2009-2010, no. 49.

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