Slick
Artist
Barkley L. Hendricks
(American, 1945 - 2017)
CultureAmerican
Date1977
MediumOil, acrylic, and Magna (acrylic resin paint) on canvas
Dimensions67 × 48 1/2 in. (170.2 × 123.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 68 1/2 × 50 1/2 × 3 1/4 in. (174 × 128.3 × 8.3 cm)
Overall, Frame: 68 1/2 × 50 1/2 × 3 1/4 in. (174 × 128.3 × 8.3 cm)
InscribedSigned top right corner.
Credit LineGift of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York
Object number78.62
Collections
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 223
Label TextBarkley L. Hendricks American, 1945 - 2017 Slick, 1977 Oil, acrylic, and Magna (acrylic resin paint) on canvas “You think you’re slick. Just wait. One day a woman is going to straighten you out!” This wry comment by Hendricks’ sister inspired the title of this self-portrait. The essence of cool, the artist is stylishly dressed in a white linen suit and stands against a neutral backdrop. The white-on-white environment becomes a witty metaphor for the racial politics of the era. Drawing attention to his face and colorful African cap, Hendricks invites us to contemplate his identity—a vision that is literally reflected in his glasses as they catch the light from his studio’s arched windows. Gift of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York 78.62 Exhibition History"American Figure Painting, 1950-1980," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, October 17 - November 30, 1980. "The Artist Sees New London," The Lyman Allyn Art Museum/The Williams School, New London, CT, September 15 - November 17, 1991. "Work of the Month," Chrysler Museum of Art, McKinnon Galleries of Modern Art, May 2001. * Barkley Hendricks, whose painting, "Dixwell" was included in the exhibition "To Conserve a Legacy" at the Chrysler Museum of Art and Hampton University Museum, spoke during an Artists' Panel at Hampton University Museum on May 5, 2001. "Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool," Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, NC, February 7- July 13, 2008; Studio Museum in Harlem, November 12, 2008-March 15, 2009; Santa Monica Museum of Art, May 9 - August 15, 2009; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, September 18 - December 20, 2009. "Remix Redux: A Fresh Mix For Our Modern And Contemporary Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, August 15 - December 30, 2012. "Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick," The Frick Collection Madison Avenue, New York, NY, September 21, 2023 - January 7, 2024.Published ReferencesThomas W. Stryon, AMERICAN FIGURE PAINTING, 1950-1980 (Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum, 1980), 79, 112; b/w ill. 79 Edited by Trevor Schoonmaker, _Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool_, exh. cat., Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 2008, 58 cat. 34., 65 cat. 34., 127. Gannit Ankori, _My Mechanical Sketchbook: Barkley L. Hendricks and Photography_, exh. cat., Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 2022, 45. Aimee Ng and Antwaun Sargent, _Barkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frick_, exh. cat., The Frick Collection in association with Rizzoli Electa, New York, 2023, 106-107, cat. no. 11.
Pair/Pair