The Animal 125
1968
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
pen and black ink with watercolor, airbrush, and colored pencil on illustration board
Dimensions
overall: 76.2 x 101.6 cm (30 x 40 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Anonymous Gift
Accession Number
1997.116.7
Art Historical Context
**The Animal 125** (1968) by Johnon is a vibrant, fantastical drawing that captures the artist's playful exploration of biomorphic forms during the late 1960s Los Angeles art scene. Altoon, a key figure in the Ferus Gallery circle alongside artists like Ed Kienholz and Billy Al Bengston, shifted from Abstract Expressionism to more figurative, whimsical works infused with humor and eroticism. This piece, part of his acclaimed "Animals" series, hybrid creature-like figures rendered on a large illustration board (76.2 x 101.6 cm), blending abstraction with surreal invention amid the era's counter...