The Computer Moves In
- Date
- 1983
- Material
- Mixed media with manganese on fabric
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 102 1/2 x 122 1/2 in. (260.4 x 311.2 cm)
- Credit Line
- Funds given by Dr. and Mrs. Alvin R. Frank and Friends Endowment Fund
- Rights
- © The Estate of Sigmar Polke / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2013
- Object Number
- 262:1995
NOTES
In this work, artist Sigmar Polke appropriated imagery from a 1983 Time magazine cover that designated the computer “Machine of the Year,” in place of Time’s “Person of the Year.” The cover reproduced a sculpture by George Segal to highlight the increasing availability and advancement of computers in America, fed by the Cold War race toward technological development. Fabric strips frame the central image, while dot patterns and shimmering silvery-white manganese shavings recall the pixilation of early computer monitors.
Provenance
by 1984 -
Private Collection [1]
by 1985 -
Mary Boone/Michael Werner Gallery, New York, NY, USA [2]
by 1994 - 1995
Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, NY [3]
1995 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Luhring Augustine Gallery [4]
Notes:
[1] Noted in a 1984 exhibition. No additional information on the private collection is provided ["Sigmar Polke." Cologne: Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, 1984, page 130].
[2] The painting was exhibited at Mary Boone/Michael Werner Gallery from January 5 to January 26, 1985 ["Sigmar Polke." New York: Mary Boone/Michael Werner Gallery, 1985]. A label with a Mary Boone Gallery inventory number is on the verso of the work.
[3] In a 1994 exhibition at Luhring Augustine Gallery ["Return of the Hero." New York: Luhring Augustine Gallery, 1994]. A Luhring Augustine Gallery invoice dated December 1, 1995 marks the end of Luhring Augustine Gallery's ownership of the work [SLAM document files].
[4] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 12, 1995.
Private Collection [1]
by 1985 -
Mary Boone/Michael Werner Gallery, New York, NY, USA [2]
by 1994 - 1995
Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, NY [3]
1995 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Luhring Augustine Gallery [4]
Notes:
[1] Noted in a 1984 exhibition. No additional information on the private collection is provided ["Sigmar Polke." Cologne: Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, 1984, page 130].
[2] The painting was exhibited at Mary Boone/Michael Werner Gallery from January 5 to January 26, 1985 ["Sigmar Polke." New York: Mary Boone/Michael Werner Gallery, 1985]. A label with a Mary Boone Gallery inventory number is on the verso of the work.
[3] In a 1994 exhibition at Luhring Augustine Gallery ["Return of the Hero." New York: Luhring Augustine Gallery, 1994]. A Luhring Augustine Gallery invoice dated December 1, 1995 marks the end of Luhring Augustine Gallery's ownership of the work [SLAM document files].
[4] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 12, 1995.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.