New Veteran's Day
Object Label
Using modest materials such as car carpet, wood, and wire, Dial constructs sweeping allegorical artworks like New Veteran’s Day, which recasts the honorific military holiday in the light of the reality of racism and mistreatment suffered by many Black veterans. Made when the artist was in his 70s and experiencing significant, if delayed, art-world attention, New Veteran’s Day is a powerful example of Dial’s large-scale formal abstraction charged with political content. Nearby, Dial’s colorful drawings of women at work and in contemplation explore the daily experiences of women in Alabama.
Caption
Thornton Dial American, 1928–2016. New Veteran's Day, 2004. Woven rugs, carpet, cotton rags/shirts, velvet, wood (plywood, composite, solid wood, hollow core door), tin cans, nails, enamel, and spray paint, plastic, galvanized steel, wire, electrical cord, staples., overall: 86 × 73 × 16 in., 228 lb. (218.4 × 185.4 × 40.6 cm, 103.42kg) storage (with t-frame): 93 × 89 × 16 in., 440 lb. (236.2 × 226.1 × 40.6 cm, 199.58kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2018, 2018.28.1. © artist or artist's estate
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
New Veteran's Day
Date
2004
Medium
Woven rugs, carpet, cotton rags/shirts, velvet, wood (plywood, composite, solid wood, hollow core door), tin cans, nails, enamel, and spray paint, plastic, galvanized steel, wire, electrical cord, staples.
Classification
Dimensions
overall: 86 × 73 × 16 in., 228 lb. (218.4 × 185.4 × 40.6 cm, 103.42kg) storage (with t-frame): 93 × 89 × 16 in., 440 lb. (236.2 × 226.1 × 40.6 cm, 199.58kg)
Inscriptions
There are two lables on the verso, one from the Museum of Fine Arts Houson, and one from the Souls Grown Deep foundation. If there is an artist signature, it is not located in a conspicuous position.
Credit Line
Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2018
Accession Number
2018.28.1
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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