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Ready-to-Wear

Large abstract painting with red, blue, white, black shapes.

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  • Large abstract painting with red, blue, white, black shapes.

Date:

1955

Artist:

Stuart Davis (American, 1892–1964)

About this artwork

The title of this vibrant painting refers to the American invention of mass produced, or “ready-to-wear,” clothing, a term first employed in an 1895 Montgomery Ward catalog. Stuart Davis looked to the sights and sounds of popular culture throughout his successful career, excited by innovations he saw in advertising, industry, and jazz music. Here, the broad, flattened areas of red, white, black, and blue may represent leftover pieces of fabric, while the angular white shape in the upper-right corner evokes a pair of scissors. With its bright palette and energetic composition, the painting celebrates not only the vitality of the ready-to-wear clothing industry but also, Davis suggested, America itself.

Status

On View, Gallery 161

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Stuart Davis

Title

Ready-to-Wear

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.

1955

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed recto, bottom-right, in black pigment: "Stuart Davis". Titled verso, top-left, on stretcher, in blck marker: "READY-TO-WEAR"; signed and dated verso, top-right, on stretcher, in black marker: "STUART DAVIS 1955".

Dimensions

142.6 × 106.7 cm (56 1/8 × 42 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund W. Kunstadter; Goodman Endowment

Reference Number

1956.137

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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