Robert M. Wilson

Stalin Chairs

Maker

Robert M. Wilson (American, b. 1941)

Culture

American

Title

Stalin Chairs

Year

1977

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

lead, fiberglass

Dimensions

83.8 x 154.9 x 129.5 cm (33 x 61 x 51 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

The Albert Pilavin Memorial Collection of 20th Century American Art

Object Number

83.151.2

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

United Histories
Mar 23, 2018 – Aug 12, 2018

Label copy

This pairing combines a Windsor chair-a design associated with colonial America-with a two-part sculpture inspired by Wilson’s 12-hour opera The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin (1973). Together, these works suggest how the past, present, and future history of the United States has been affected by its relationship with Russia, from the Cold War to controversies surrounding the most recent presidential election. The placement here echoes the seating arrangements at meetings between heads of the two states.

[see also: 2003.138.1]

Twentieth-Century Sculpture from the Collection
Jun 07, 1996 – Aug 18, 1996
From the Reserve II
Twentieth-Century Painting
Jun 24, 1994 – Aug 27, 1994
The Moderns
Twentieth-Century Art from the Permanent Collection
Aug 06, 1993 – Mar 13, 1994

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Tombstone

Robert M. Wilson (American, b. 1941)
Stalin Chairs, 1977
Lead over fiberglass armature
83.8 x 154.9 x 129.5 cm (33 x 61 x 51 inches)
The Albert Pilavin Memorial Collection of 20th Century American Art 83.151.2

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