American Beauty
Artist
Walt Kuhn
(American, 1877 - 1949)
Date1934
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 33 1/4 x 65 1/2 in. (84.5 x 166.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 44 3/4 x 79 5/8 x 3 in. (113.7 x 202.2 x 7.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 44 3/4 x 79 5/8 x 3 in. (113.7 x 202.2 x 7.6 cm)
ClassificationsModern art
Credit LineBequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number89.62
Terms
- Woman
- Feathers
- Fan
- Red
- Green
- Pink
- Yellow
- White
- Black
- Orange
- Realism
Collections
On View
On viewLabel TextWalt Kuhn American, 1877–1949 American Beauty, 1934 Oil on canvas Intense colors complement the bold stare of this young dancer, suggesting the music and energy of a vaudeville show. Painter Walt Kuhn also worked as a theater producer and often used dancers, clowns, mimes, and acrobats as his artistic subjects. The heavy make-up on this woman’s face may tell a darker story about the worlds of art and show business: her body is a canvas, and, while dancing on stage to earn a living, our anonymous American Beauty hides her true identity beneath layers of bright cosmetic paint. Bequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 89.62
