Skip to Main Content

A Bird in the Room

1955
(American, 1898–1963)
America
oil on canvas
Unframed: 99.1 x 81.3 cm (39 x 32 in.)
Bequest of Kay Sage Tanguy 1964.340
© Estate of Kay Sage / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: 226B American Modern
Copyright
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

To maintain her own identity, Sage often refused to exhibit with her husband, also an artist.

Description

Sage created this work, one of her most somber and desolate, shortly after the death of her husband, Yves Tanguy (1900–1955), who was also an esteemed Surrealist painter. The title likely refers to the folk legend that says a wild bird flying into a house is a premonition of death—an actual event that Sage experienced shortly before Tanguy passed away. Although for most of her career she was a prolific artist, Sage increasingly lost her momentum and inspiration during widowhood. Unable to endure living with her loss, she became reclusive and depressed, eventually succeeding in her second attempt at suicide by shooting herself in the heart.
A Bird in the Room

A Bird in the Room

1955

Kay Sage

(American, 1898–1963)
America

See Also

Videos

Scaffolding

What a Bird in the Room Means

Kay Sage and Surrealism

Visually Similar by AI

    CMA Store

    Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views
    "This book explores American landscape painting today, its relevance in the contemporary art world, and its historic roots. This volume profiles sixty individual living artists whose contributions distinguish important aspects of the genre and address land use, nature appreciation, and ecology through landscape painting. Encompassing every style from traditional realism (with a contemporary edge) to abstraction and non-objectivity, these contemporary artists range from today’s art stars to emerging or regionally recognized talent in the eastern, western, and southwestern regions of the nation. An additional chapter addresses urban landscapes nationally. The range of styles and reputations presented creates an encompassing survey of the trends and enduring elements in this genre of painting and the art market today. 272 pp | 206 color photos
    Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views
    American Painting
    This book presents an overview of American painting of the 19th century, from the Hudson River School to Realism, Impressionism, and the Ashcan School. 480 pages
    American Painting
    The Cleveland Museum of Art: Art Spaces
    This fully illustrated book presents a brief view of the museum’s recent renovations and additions by famed architect Rafael VinÞoly. Confronted with the need to address facility concerns, devise more gallery space, and connect the various pre-existing styles from earlier additions, VinÞoly designs an architectural masterpiece by using a scheme of various spaces and architectural elements, all united by a soaring glass-roofed atrium to harmonize the museums architecture. 64 pages Published 2013
    The Cleveland Museum of Art: Art Spaces
    Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art
    Forward by David Franklin Introduction by C. Griffith Mann with contributions by Curators and Associate Curators of the Cleveland Museum Staff The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 40,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. Published to celebrate the closing stages of a long-term renovation and expansion, this exquisitely illustrated volume features treasures from the museum's deep and wide-reaching collection including Asian Art, African Art, American Painting and Sculpture, European Painting and Sculpture, Medieval Art, Ancient Egyptian Art, Ancient Near East and Greek and Roman Art, Islamic Art, Art of the Ancient Americas, Drawings, Prints, Photography, Decorative Art and Design, Textiles, Modern Art, and Contemporary Art. 352 pages Published 2012
    Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.