1963.59.FA George Grosz, A Dallas Night


GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
In George Grosz's street scenes of downtown Dallas, particularly his group of nocturnal scenes, Grosz taps into his long-standing interest in not only urban typology but also the shaping of the urban landscape by commercial signage. Just as he had in Berlin and New York, Grosz tried to assimilate the specific details of Dallas's commercial landscape into his paintings. This view of Dallas's neon-lit theater district is crowded with the logos and names of Dallas businesses, from Zale's Jewelers and Dr. Pepper to the soaring neon Pegasus of Magnolia Petroleum Company (now Mobil Oil) flying high above. In his night scene of Dallas's Theater Row, the sidewalks of Elm Street teem with a vaporous crowd of theater-goers, their social diversity wittily signaled by an assortment of disembodied hats.

Adapted from
Heather MacDonald, Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2012), 63-65.


NOTES
Created in 1952

Object File Reviewed

An explosion of imagery and color, this watercolor evokes the noise, bustle, and energy of an evening in downtown Dallas at mid-century. The German painter George Grosz came to Dallas in 1952 to execute a series of works about the city. In both watercolor and oil, Grosz recorded the city’s skyline and the lives of its inhabitants of all races.
Excerpt from
William Keyse Rudolph, DMA label text, 2005.

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
Depicted location: Dallas (Texas/United States): TGN: 7013503

Process/materials
Watercolor on paper

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
From 1963: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Foundation for the Arts Collection, anonymous gift in memory of Leon A. Harris [1][2]

[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

[2] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.

AUDIO ASSETS 
UMO: 13310072    The History and Culture of George Grosz's Dallas, Gallery talk by Carol Roark
UMO: 13310104  Reflections on George Grosz, Gallery talk with Marty Grosz, George Grosz's son
UMO: 13310145    Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Alan Govenar
UMO: 13316195   Frontier Fantasies Meet Frontier Realities: George Grosz in Dallas in 1952, Late Night Lecture by Barbara McCloskey
UMO: 13317549   Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Dr. Heather MacDonald

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES 

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1963.59.FA

Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
 
In George Grosz's street scenes of downtown Dallas, particularly his group of nocturnal scenes, Grosz taps into his long-standing interest in not only urban typology but also the shaping of the urban landscape by commercial signage. Just as he had in Berlin and New York, Grosz tried to assimilate the specific details of Dallas's commercial landscape into his paintings. This view of Dallas's neon-lit theater district is crowded with the logos and names of Dallas businesses, from Zale's Jewelers and Dr. Pepper to the soaring neon Pegasus of Magnolia Petroleum Company (now Mobil Oil) flying high above. In his night scene of Dallas's Theater Row, the sidewalks of Elm Street teem with a vaporous crowd of theater-goers, their social diversity wittily signaled by an assortment of disembodied hats.

Adapted from
Heather MacDonald, Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2012), 63-65.


Fun Facts

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 
Notes
Created in 1952

Object File Reviewed

An explosion of imagery and color, this watercolor evokes the noise, bustle, and energy of an evening in downtown Dallas at mid-century. The German painter George Grosz came to Dallas in 1952 to execute a series of works about the city. In both watercolor and oil, Grosz recorded the city’s skyline and the lives of its inhabitants of all races.
Excerpt from
William Keyse Rudolph, DMA label text, 2005.

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
Depicted location: Dallas (Texas/United States): TGN: 7013503

Process/materials
Watercolor on paper

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
From 1963: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Foundation for the Arts Collection, anonymous gift in memory of Leon A. Harris [1][2]

[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

[2] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.

AUDIO ASSETS 
UMO: 13310072    The History and Culture of George Grosz's Dallas, Gallery talk by Carol Roark
UMO: 13310104  Reflections on George Grosz, Gallery talk with Marty Grosz, George Grosz's son
UMO: 13310145    Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Alan Govenar
UMO: 13316195   Frontier Fantasies Meet Frontier Realities: George Grosz in Dallas in 1952, Late Night Lecture by Barbara McCloskey
UMO: 13317549   Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Dr. Heather MacDonald

VIDEO ASSETS

rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1963.59.FA
tags
#draft
#completed
%copyedited_Gail
Dallas (Texas/United States): TGN: 7013503
%Archived
.TeachingIdeas
human figures: AAT: 300404114
*American Art
@Russell
#routed
hats (headgear): AAT: 300046106
Grosz_George: ULAN: 500014558
13310072: UMO
13310104: UMO
13310145: UMO
13316195: UMO
13317549: UMO
Art Students' League: ULAN: 500303709
cityscapes (representations): AAT: 300015571
buildings (structures): AAT: 300004792
signs (declaratory or advertising artifacts): AAT: 300123013
signage: AAT: 300193977
pink (color): AAT: 300124707
watercolor (paint): AAT: 300015045
skyscrapers: AAT: 300004809
watercolors (paintings): AAT: 300078925
night: AAT: 300133095
source file
object_notes_2_c-0353.xml.nores