Object Notes

Alex Hay, who was active in New York's Pop Art scene in the 1960s, aggrandizes the familiar characteristics of household objects. Hay's precise attention to detail is visible in this comically enlarged legal pad sheet's evenly torn top, thick ink lines, and unmistakable shade of yellow.

Plaques like this one form architectural decorations in Buddhist temples or are used in domestic shrines. They are created by Newari craftspeople, who are especially skilled metalworkers.

Untitled (young man 1) is a haunting, extreme close-up of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the band Joy Division. Formed in England, Joy Division was a post-punk band known for its moody and atmospheric sound.

In ancient Greek drama, agon refers to a formal debate that takes place between the chief characters in a play: the protagonist and antagonist. The character speaking second always wins the agon, since the last word is always hers or his.

InThe Devil's Dress, the figure, like many characters in Michaël Borremans's paintings, appears to be involved in some mysterious, psychologically charged scenario.

In the late 1960s, Michelangelo Pistoletto was one of a group of Italian artists who attempted to break down the dichotomy between art and life, a movement that became known as Arte Povera.

In this highly graphic black, white, and blue work, Garth Weiser explores perspective, vision, and perception through his use of geometric forms and visual devices, such as the grid, horizon line, and the painting's rectangular form.

Nagasawa Rosetsu's magical painting of a famous Japanese waterfall has a fluidity of design and sweeping pictorial patterns that suit the cloudlike beauty of the scene. 

Like the dynamic coat from Uzbekistan [2005.70], this Hindu garment is richly decorated with bright colors. The front features sparkling sequins framed with embroidered red, blue, pink, and green circles.

Daitoku is the Japanese god of wealth and prosperity. As he helps people produce crops, he is represented standing on two large bags of rice. For this same reason of embodying abundance, he is shown as healthily plump. The mallet he carries on his shoulder can make anyone he strikes it with very rich.