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Washington University in St. Louis
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

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Tom Wesselmann

Bedroom Painting #2

1968

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The American Pop artist Tom Wesselmann is known for his many depictions of the female nude, in paintings, collages, and assemblages. In this painting the artist severely fragmented the female form, representing only an open mouth with red lipstick and a bare breast, which he joined together with everyday objects. Slyly combining references to various art-historical tropes (the reclining female nude, the still life), Wesselmann infuses them with the patina of consumer culture. The body parts are rendered as if they were material goods equivalent—in size and treatment—to the cigarette, orange, and rose. With the inclusion of visible suntan lines, the figure reads as naked (pornographic) rather than nude (art historical). This hyper-sexualized coding of the female body as well as the work’s overall scale and cool aesthetic directly recall the commercial techniques of billboard advertisements, which often equate lust with the commodity. Wesselmann’s painting can be understood as an ambiguous commentary, neither overtly critical nor celebratory, of the larger social context of postwar America in which notions of individuality were increasingly shaped by mass consumer culture. [Permanent Collection Label, 2022]

  • Artist Tom Wesselmann (American, 1931–2004)
  • Title Bedroom Painting #2
  • Date 1968
  • Medium Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions unframed | 48 1/2 x 83 1/2 x 2 5/8 in.
  • Credit line University purchase, Bixby Fund, 1968
  • Object number WU 4382

Ambivalent Pleasures: Advertiser Content in American Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 08/29/2022 - 01/02/2023

Urban Visions, Curated by WUGA Student Gallery Group
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 05/05/1999 - 05/14/1999

Capsule of Modern Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 01/09/1983 - 03/06/1983

1968
Sidney Janis Gallery, New York

Inscription Recto, upper right, in orange paint:

Inscription Verso, on stretcher, at center:

This artwork record may be incomplete or need refinement. Our staff actively researches the collection and revises records when new information is available. If you have questions or comments about this record, please contact us.

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