Chris van Allsburg

Missing in Venice

Maker

Chris van Allsburg (American, b. 1949), (RISD MFA 1975, Sculpture)

Title

Missing in Venice
, from the book *Mysteries of Harris Burdick*

Year

1983

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

charcoal

Supports

Dimensions

Plate: 63.5 x 52.1 cm (25 x 20 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed and dated graphite in margin, bottom right corner:"C. VAN ALLSBURG 1983" | Titled in graphite bottom margin, center:"Mario's Magnet / Even with the engines in reverse, the great/ ocean liner was pulled further and further into the canal." | inscribed in purple marker lower left corner:"3" | Inscribed in pencil lower right corner: "4." | Inscribed in pencil lower right corner:"3 1/4 T & S / 3 1/2 Bottom" | Inscribed in pencil bottom margin center:"2:05 / 459-3416" | Inscribed in pencil bottom right corner, aligned vertically:"Figures in Context/ 202/ 298 1010 / Carma / C. Fauntleroy / International Exhibitions Foundation / 1729 H Street N.W./ Suite 310 / Wash. D.C. 20026" | No inscriptions on verso. | Inscription in graphite on verso of mat window, lower left corner:"Fleet / 15957/ 6/28"[possibly "15497"].

Signature: Signed and dated graphite in margin, bottom right corner:"C. VAN ALLSBURG 1983"

Marks: Blindstamp on verso, lower right corner:"STRATHMORE USE EITHER SIDE" in circle surrounding thistle with two leaves

Label: Label on frame:Jameson and Thompson/ Picture Framers/15 Greenview Avenue/ Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 /617-524-1805" with initial and date in black ink : "7/6/0" | White adhesive tape on frame back with number in black marker:"F2500".

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Bank of America Corporate Collection

Object Number

2004.43.11

Type

Exhibition History

Draw Me a Story
Illustration from the Permanent Collection
Apr 14, 2006 – Jul 23, 2006

Label copy

Chris Van Allsburg was trained in sculpture at RISD and has authored and illustrated fifteen books since graduating in 1975. Two of his most popular books, Jumanji and The Polar Express, were made into feature films. This is a final drawing for the Mysteries of Harris Burdick, 1984. The book consists of a group of seemingly unconnected pictures accompanied by evocative captions that resist linear narrative. Each viewer is meant to generate his or her own stories to accompany the drawings. In this case the caption reads “Missing in Venice. Even with her mighty engines in reverse, the ocean liner was pulled further and further into the canal.”

Van Allsburg’s rich tonal style evokes mystery and mood while at the same time exhibiting a clean simplicity of design. Together, those qualities lend his drawings an unsettling tranquility.

Image use

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Tombstone

Chris van Allsburg (American, b. 1949)
Missing in Venice; , from the book *Mysteries of Harris Burdick*, 1983
Charcoal on paper
Plate: 63.5 x 52.1 cm (25 x 20 1/2 inches)
Gift of Bank of America Corporate Collection 2004.43.11

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