%C2%A9 The Ray Johnson Estate %2F Artists Rights Society %28ARS%29%2C New York
Hat with Red Eyes, 1966
Ray Johnsonexpand_more
Collage of found materials and pigments on cardboardexpand_more
Gift of Mary and Bob Merskyexpand_more 2022.98.3
Not on Viewexpand_more
Once described as “New York’s most famous unknown artist,” Ray Johnson is today remembered as a leading figure of the Pop and Neo-Dada movements that emerged in the 1950s as critiques of popular culture and mass media. Johnson challenged artistic conventions with his innovative collages of found materials and collaboratively produced “mail art” that invited the participation of fellow artists through the U.S. mail. Hat with Red Eyes is an example of his work in collage, an homage to the radical modernist American poet Marianne Moore (1887–1972). The two innovators had briefly shared a correspondence, and, with characteristic wit and economy, Johnson used Moore’s iconic black tricorn hat as a symbol for the poet and her creative brilliance. The collage is one of several portrayals of Moore that Johnson completed during the 1960s.
Details
- Title
- Hat with Red Eyes
- Artist Life
- 1927 - 1995
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2022.98.3
- Provenance
- The artist, New York; [Willard Gallery, New York, until 1967]. [Richard Feigen Gallery, New York, inv. no. 13745-D]; Private collection, Florida, sold by Estate or descendents; [Hill Auction Gallery, Sunrise, Fla., sale 11/29/17, lot 145, sold to Mersky]; Robert B. Mersky, Minneapolis; given to MIA, 2022.
- Curator Approved
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© The Ray Johnson Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York