Great American Nude No. 21

The Museum of the estate of Tom Wesselmann, New York (the USA).

Casein, Enamel, Graphite, Printed Paper, Fabric, Linoleum and Embroidery on Board.

Great American Nude is Tom Wesselmann’s largest and most famous series of works. Here, he depicted a naked man lying on a bed in a room where a portrait of the president and a drawing of the American flag hanging on the wall. The patriotic mood of the room is also emphasized by the official colours of the flag: blue, red and white, which the artist used to show the appearance of the interior of the room. The lying character attracts your attention with his strange toothy smile, which is the only distinguishable feature of his face. This smile is reminiscent of the work of the idol of Tom Wesselmann, Willem de Kooning, who stuck human lips carved from cigarette packages to his paintings.