Key Box

Accession Number
1997/1.143

Title
Key Box

Artist(s)
Joe Tilson

Object Creation Date
1963

Medium & Support
copper and paint on wood

Dimensions
19 1/4 in. x 13 1/8 in. x 4 in. ( 48.9 cm x 33.3 cm x 10.2 cm )

Credit Line
Gift of the Lannan Foundation in Honor of the Pelham Family

Subject matter
Like “Key Box,” many of Tilson’s works are reminiscent of children’s learning games, with bold colors and simple geometric forms. “Key Box” also reveals Tilson’s fascination with the relationship between symbols and words, linking the written word “key” with the representation of a keyhole.

Physical Description
Wooden box with a keyhole cut through center of piece encircled with copper-colored paint and two large copper screw-heads on golden-yellow background; the word “KEY” painted in white letters at bottom

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

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
British (modern)
Conceptual
Neo-Dada
boxes (containers)
key
keyholes
modern and contemporary art
text (layout feature)

5 Related Resources

Diagnosis
(Part of: History of Medicine - American Association of Historians of Medicine (AAHM))
Cabinet X: Shelf 1
(Part of: Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery)

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved

On display

UMMA Gallery Location ➜ AMH, 2nd floor ➜ 205 (Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery) ➜ Cabinet X ➜ Shelf 1