Paper Bag
Artist
Alex Hay
(American, born 1930)
Date1968
MediumFiberglas, epoxy, spray lacquer, and stencil on paper
DimensionsOverall: 59 3/8 × 29 1/4 × 18 inches (150.81 × 74.3 × 45.72 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation–Commerce Bank, Trustee
Object number2005.7
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThis sculpture depicts a brown paper bag that is almost five feet high.Gallery LabelAlex Hay's Paper Bag belongs to the 1960s and the heyday of Pop Art, when mass-produced products were frequent subjects. Hays' Fiberglas piece is a greatly enlarged version of a bag manufactured by the EZ Opener Bag Company of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The original held five pounds, was 12 inches tall and was widely used in grocery stores.
Pop Art simultaneously celebrated and critiqued consumer society. The large scale of Paper Bag speaks to postwar affluence, the proliferation of convenience foods and marketing techniques that urge consumers to buy more of increasingly larger products.
Pop Art simultaneously celebrated and critiqued consumer society. The large scale of Paper Bag speaks to postwar affluence, the proliferation of convenience foods and marketing techniques that urge consumers to buy more of increasingly larger products.
Copyright© Alex Hay
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