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Volunteer

A work made of oil on canvas.
© 2019 Estate of James Rosenquist/Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

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  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

1963/64

Artist:

James Rosenquist
American, 1933-2017

About this artwork

James Rosenquist’s paintings have a distinctive collage-like appearance and feature symbols of post-war American life drawn from mass media. In Volunteer, he depicted a washing machine, an ice-cream cone, and a person in a business suit, referencing technological progress, indulgence, and conformity. The large blue handprint centered in the composition—an enlargement of the artist’s own handprint—represents the uncertain role of the individual in the rapidly changing world of the 1960s. On the preparatory sketch for this work, Rosenquist wrote: “The volunteer who is puzzled doesn’t know what to do but willing.”

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

James Rosenquist

Title

Volunteer

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1963–1964

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

183 × 198 cm (72 × 78 in.)

Credit Line

Through prior acquisitions of Mary and Leigh Block, Samuel P. Avery Endowment, and Mr. and Mrs. Carter H. Harrison; Robert and Marlene Baumgarten Fund; estate of Solomon Byron Smith; Constance Obright and Samuel and Sarah Deson Memorial funds

Reference Number

1994.311

Copyright

© 2019 Estate of James Rosenquist/Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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