About this artwork
In the early 1960s Öyvind Fahlström began to make what he termed “variable” paintings, in which a figure’s limbs or other discrete shapes were segmented and jointed—and thus movable. The potential mobility of these elements was, for Fahlström, a way of implicating the viewer. In his words, “strategy, manipulation, [and] political psychodrama” are central to art’s content.
Eddie (Sylvie’s Brother) in the Desert is crowded with vivid, active, yet enigmatic imagery—a window shattering, a flag fluttering, a nude woman running, a suited man bounding out of the frame, and cartoonish trails of rushing air. The title references Sylvie Vartan, a French pop singer of the day, and her brother, Eddie, a musician as well, for whom Fahlström imagined a densely populated, disorienting “desert.”
-
Status
- Currently Off View
-
Department
- Contemporary Art
-
Artist
- Oyvind Fahlström
-
Title
- Eddie (Sylvie's Brother) in the Desert
-
Date
- Made 1965
-
Medium
- Ink and tempera on wood, 20 cutouts on vinyl
-
Dimensions
- 76.2 × 76.2 cm (30 × 30 in.)
-
Credit Line
- Through prior gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin E. Hokin
-
Reference Number
- 2015.414
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.
