Gun in America
Object Details
- Artist
- Roy Lichtenstein, 27 Oct 1923 - 29 Sep 1997
- Exhibition Label
- The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in the spring of 1968 unleashed a heated debate over America’s passion for personal firearms and the ease with which anyone could procure a rifle or pistol. By late June, Time magazine was reporting on this debate in its cover story, which focused on, among other things, the mounting cry for new curbs on citizens’ rights to bear firearms. The story caught people’s attention, and the magazine received countless pieces of mail from readers.
- Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein created a vivid, riveting cover for the issue. He had long recognized the gun as an important element in American culture, and his image for Time was simply a variant of the pistol-gripping hand that he had produced on a felt banner several years earlier.
- Los asesinatos de Martin Luther King Jr. y Robert F. Kennedy en la primavera de 1968 desataron un candente debate en torno a la pasión de los estadounidenses por las armas de fuego para uso personal y lo fácil que resultaba para cualquiera obtener un rifle o una pistola. A fines de junio, Time cubrió esta controversia como tema de portada, analizando entre otros puntos el creciente reclamo de nuevos frenos al derecho de portar armas. El reportaje acaparó la atención de los lectores, a juzgar por el volumen de cartas que recibió la revista.
- La vívida portada que creó el artista pop Roy Lichtenstein para esta edición también causó impacto. Lichtenstein llevaba tiempo trabajando la imagen de la pistola como elemento importante de la cultura estadounidense. Su imagen para Time fue una variante de la mano con pistola que había creado para un cartelón de fieltro años antes.
- Collection Description
- In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
- En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
- 1968
- Object number
- NPG.78.TC142
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Roy Lichtenstein
- Type
- Medium
- Screenprint on acetate
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 58.5 × 43.5cm (23 1/16 × 17 1/8")
- Mat: 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Weapon\Gun
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.78.TC142
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4be145e6a-36a4-4f7b-abc2-85f22e4e707a
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