Untitled (Gun on the car)
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
chromogenic print
Dimensions
image: 7.6 × 7.6 cm (3 × 3 in.) sheet: 9 × 9 cm (3 9/16 × 3 9/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Robert E. Jackson, in Honor of the 25th Anniversary of Photography at the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
2015.135.8
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of mid-20th-century American photography, *Untitled (Gun on the car)* captures a striking, enigmatic moment from 1963. This diminutive chromogenic print—measuring just 7.6 × 7.6 cm—depicts an everyday scene turned provocative: a gun casually placed on a car, evoking themes of American gun culture, urban life, or perhaps roadside Americana during a turbulent era marked by social upheaval and the Cold War. Chromogenic prints, like this one, revolutionized color photography in the 1960s by allowing rich, stable dyes to form directly in the paper, producing vivid hues that bl...
About the Artist
American 20th Century
"American 20th Century" is the designation used by major institutions such as the National Gallery of Art (NGA) for anonymous and unidentified artists active in the United States during the twentieth century. The artist's personal identity, early life, and training remain undocumented, reflecting the challenges of attribution for unattributed works from this era. No specific teachers, art schools,...