Macy's Stairway, 1940-1941
Wanda Gágexpand_more
Lithograph on zincexpand_more
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. John E. Larkin, Jr.expand_more P.87.13.41
Not on Viewexpand_more
Macy’s was Wanda Gág’s favorite store. Instead of showing us sales counters and crowded aisles, however, Gág chose an empty stairwell, a reference to the loneliness and alienation that many artists and writers of the 1920s associated with modern urban life. The print was based on a drawing made in 1929, when Gág had grown disillusioned with the big city. “New York always makes a wreck of me after the first two months or so,” she had written in 1928.
The prominent firehose and ax reflect the Macy’s preoccupation with fire: when this New York store was built in 1902, every floor had its own fire department.
Details
- Title
- Macy's Stairway
- Artist Life
- 1893–1946
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.87.13.41
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Z. & J. 102; W.117
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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