Bump
Artist
Jim Nutt
(American, born 1938)
Date2008
MediumAcrylic on linen with MDF frame
DimensionsUnframed: 15 x 14 inches (38.1 x 35.56 cm)
Framed: 25 1/4 x 24 3/8 inches (64.14 x 61.91 cm)
Framed: 25 1/4 x 24 3/8 inches (64.14 x 61.91 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation–Commerce Bank, Trustee
Object number2008.33
InscribedAn artist inscription on the frame reverse provides detailed notes on materials and instructions for handling/care.
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionJim Nutt's "Bump" depicts the bust of a woman in shallow space. Her distorted features include two, mismatched eyes, a bizarre nose with exaggerated shadows, and a protrusion from the back of her head, which doubles as dark hair and a conical, shell-like form. She is set against a pale lavender ground. Her proper left cheek is marked by a bump, which, perhaps, gives the painting its title.Gallery LabelHairy Who was a group of Chicago artists that emerged in the late 1960s and created playfully distorted figural art influenced by a variety of sources: comic book characters, Surrealism, outsider art and advertisements. Jim Nutt, a member of the group, continues to explore the grotesque in works like Bump. His contorted and cartoonish woman has mismatched eyes, a bizarre nose and an awkward jaw line. Her tightly wound hair style twists like a screw. Isolated and imperfect, she holds our gaze and evokes our compassion.
Copyright© Jim Nutt
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