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Dead Palms

Artist Bryan Schutmaat (American, born 1983)
Date2014; printed 2024
MediumInkjet print
DimensionsImage: 32 3/16 × 40 1/16 inches (81.76 × 101.76 cm)
Sheet: 36 3/16 × 44 1/16 inches (91.92 × 111.92 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the Hall Family Foundation
Object number2024.36.4
SignedSigned on sheet verso, lower right, in pencil.
InscribedOn sheet verso, bottom, in pencil: "1/5 DEAD PALMS"
Markingsnone
Edition/State/Proofed. 1/5 + 2 A.P.s
On View
On view
Gallery Location
  • L11
Collections
DescriptionImage of palm trees without fronds in a deserted landscape with mountains along the horizon.Gallery Label

Schutmaat describes working in the vast expanses of the desert Southwest as a profound experience: “Some might remark that the land is harsh or hostile, but I just see a setting that’s indifferent to all human concerns.”

The raggedy remains of dead palm trees, “planted by someone with hubris, thinking that there was enough water to maintain them,” as Schutmaat remarks, prompted him to take this picture. The background also struck him as important: “[The trees] will come and go quickly, but that ridgeline beyond it will not . . . the efforts of humankind, when measured against that, gets put into perspective.”

Provenance
Sasha Wolf Gallery, New York, NY, 2024;
Purchased by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2024.
CopyrightThis work is copyrighted. Consult copyright information for permission to reproduce.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


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