The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Rho I

Rho I

1977
(American, 1939–2018)
America, 20th century
acrylic on canvas
Unframed: 182.8 x 213.2 cm (71 15/16 x 83 15/16 in.)
Gift of Scott C. Mueller and Margaret Fulton Mueller 2010.1
© Jack Whitten
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This is part of Whitten’s “Greek Alphabet” series where he completely removed color from his works to see how black and white can work together—both artistically and politically.

Description

Whitten is a crucial member of a group of artists who championed “process” in the 1970s, creating artworks that openly reveal, instead of concealing, how they were created. Whitten would lay his canvas on his studio floor, apply the paint, and pull a developer (items ranging from hair picks to sheet metal) across the surface of the painting, revealing the multiple layers of paint below as well as an impression of the studio floor and any scraps that may have been left or placed beneath the canvas.
  • 1997-2010
    Collection of the artist, consigned to Alexander Gray Associates, New York, NY, 2010
    2010
    (Alexander Gray Associates, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010)
    2010-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Ostrow, Saul. “Process, Image and Elegy.” Art in America 96, no. 4 (April 2008): 148-155, 183. Mentioned: pp. 152-153 search.ebscohost.com
    Cleveland Museum of Art, "Cleveland Museum of Art Announces Newest Acquisitions," September 7, 2010, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Franklin, David. Director’s Choice: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, in association with London: Scala Publishers Ltd., 2012. Reproduced: p. 72-73; mentioned: p. 73. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Franklin, David, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, in association with London: Scala Publishers Ltd., 2012. Reproduced: p. 335; mentioned: p. 334.
    Franklin, David. “Recent Acquisitions (2005-2011) at the Cleveland Museum of Art.” The Burlington Magazine 154, no. 1312 (July 2012): 525-32. Reproduced p. 532, Fig. XX. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Sparks, Amy and Rebecca Michaels, eds. African American Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013. Reproduced p. 6; mentioned: p. 26. ingallslibrary.on.worldcat.org
    Lee, Key Jo, and William Griswold. Perceptual Drift: Black Art and an Ethics of Looking. Cleveland, OH : Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 15-31, fig. 1, 5a-b.
  • Julie Mehretu: Portals (FRONT International: Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 13, 2022).
    Currents and Constellations: Black Art in Focus. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 20-June 26, 2022).
    Jack Whitten, Alexander Grey Gallery, New York, NY (September 13 - October 20, 2007)
  • {{cite web|title=Rho I|url=false|author=Jack Whitten|year=1977|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.1