Pile Up [special proof]
1979 - 1981
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph on J. Barcham Green Crisbrook wove paper [special proof]
Dimensions
sheet: 50.3 x 75.6 cm (19 13/16 x 29 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Gemini G.E.L. and the Artist
Accession Number
1988.74.48
Art Historical Context
Philip Guston's *Pile Up [special proof (1979–1981) is a lithograph that captures the artist's bold late-career shift toward raw, figurative imagery. By the 1970s, Guston had abandoned his Abstract Expressionist for cartoonish, politically charged scenes often featuring hooded Ku Klux Klan figures, discarded objects, and surreal accumulations—symbols of violence, moral ambiguity, and postwar disillusionment. This print exemplifies his provocative style, inviting viewers to confront uncomfortable truths through stark forms and shadowy tones. Rendered in lithography on luxurious J. Barcham Gree...
About the Artist
Philip Guston
Philip Guston (1913–1980) was a Canadian-born American painter whose career traced a remarkable arc from Social Realism through Abstract Expressionism to a radically personal form of figurative painting that has profoundly influenced contemporary art. Born Phillip Goldstein in Montreal, he grew up in Los Angeles, where he befriended Jackson Pollock at Manual Arts High School and was largely self-t...