Untitled (Paint Cans)

Accession Number
2013/2.310

Title
Untitled (Paint Cans)

Artist(s)
Tyree Guyton

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1980-2010

Medium & Support
paint cans, wooden crate, American flag, rearview mirror, and ceramic figurine

Dimensions
33 1/2 in x 28 1/8 in x 12 in (85.09 cm x 71.44 cm x 30.48 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of H. David Zucca

Subject matter
African American artist, Tyree Guyton, uses found and recycled objects in his neighborhood installations and standalone sculptures. These paint cans may have been saved from the house paint that he used in the Heidleberg Project. Guyton regularly incorporates American flags into his work, including his "American Flag Series, Untitled (bird cage, re-lynching)." Guyton frequently uses his art to comment on America's troubled past, as well as current social and political issues that he observes. 

Physical Description
A "Norton Abrasives" wooden crate is filled with empty rusted gallon paint containers with dried paint inside. A cracked rearview mirror is attached to one side and an American flag is smushed into one side of the box. A small toy platypus sits inside one of the paint cans, although the platypus is moveable; instructions to museum state that museum staff can place platypus where they please.

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
assemblage

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
American (North American)
cans (containers)
crates
flags
found objects
mirrors
paint (coating)

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& Author Notes

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