id: 144613
accession number: 1969.252
share license status: Copyrighted
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.252
updated: 2023-08-23 22:14:26.580000
Metro, 1958. Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1992). Oil on canvas; framed: 115.6 x 139.7 x 4.5 cm (45 1/2 x 55 x 1 3/4 in.); unframed: 113 x 137.1 cm (44 1/2 x 54 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. John B. Dempsey 1969.252 © Estate of Joan Mitchell
title: Metro
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: 1958
creation date earliest: 1958
creation date latest: 1958
current location:
creditline: Gift of Mrs. John B. Dempsey
copyright: © Estate of Joan Mitchell
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culture: America, 20th century
technique: oil on canvas
department: American Painting and Sculpture
collection: American - Painting
type: Painting
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catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
* Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1992) - artist
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measurements: Framed: 115.6 x 139.7 x 4.5 cm (45 1/2 x 55 x 1 3/4 in.); Unframed: 113 x 137.1 cm (44 1/2 x 54 in.)
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: A Rebours
opening date: 1999-04-20T00:00:00
A Rebours. Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno (organizer) (April 20-June 13, 1999); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina SofÍa (July 6-October 11, 1999).
title: Gallery One 2012
opening date: 2012-12-12T05:00:00
Gallery One 2012. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2012-March 5, 2017).
title: Impressionism to Modernism: The Keithley Collection
opening date: 2022-09-11T04:00:00
Impressionism to Modernism: The Keithley Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 11, 2022-January 8, 2023).
title: Shattered Glass: The Women Who Elevated American Art
opening date: 2025-11-25T05:00:00
Shattered Glass: The Women Who Elevated American Art. Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH (organizer) (November 25, 2025-March 1, 2026).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
* Newport Beach, CA, Newport Harbor Art Museum (June 28-September 9, 1984) Action/Precision: The New Direction in New York, 1955-60, cat. no. 35, p. 122, repr. p. 123, also traveled to: Worcester, MA, Worcester Art Museum(3 October - 25 November 1984); Grey Art Gallery, New York University (15 January - 23 February 1984); Cincinnati, OH, the Contemporary Arts Center (14 March - 27 April 1984); Buffalo, NY, Albright-Knox Gallery (14 September - 3 November 1984); Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery, University of Texas at Austin (12 January - 23 February 1986).
Washington DC, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Joan Mitchell: A Retrospective Exhibition (26 February - 1 May 1988); also traveled to San Francisco, CA, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (26 May - 18 July 1988); Buffalo, NY, Albright-Knox Gallery (17 September - 6 November 1988); La Jolla, CA, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art (2 December 1988 - 29 January 1989); Ithaca, NY, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University (26 February - 23 April 1989); ill. cat. no. 35, p. 122.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain (4/20/99 - 6/13/99); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (7/6/99 - 10/11/99) "A Rebours" p. 237 (repr.).
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PROVENANCE
Mrs. John B. Dempsey.
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fun fact:
At the age of 17, Mitchell was named "Figure Skating Queen of the Midwest."
digital description:
Metro belongs to an early phase in Mitchell’s long career, when she started to earn fame for abstract paintings that balance spontaneity with planning. Its composition is centrifugal: wide patches of reds, maroons, olive greens, and whites clustered in the canvas’s upper center are effectively spinning off into thinner arcs at the sides and bottom.
wall description:
Metro belongs to an early phase in Joan Mitchell’s lengthy career, when she began earning fame for abstract paintings that balance spontaneity with planning. Its composition is circular: wide patches of reds, maroons, olive greens, and whites clustered in the canvas’s upper center effectively spin off into thinner arcs at the sides and bottom. The specific meaning of the painting’s title is unknown, but it may reference inspiration from New York or Paris, where she lived at different times during the year.
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RELATED WORKS
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