New Veteran's Day
2004
Thornton Dial
American, 1928-2016
Contemporary Art
Using modest materials such as car carpet, wood, and wire, Dial constructs sweeping allegorical artworks like New Veteran’s Day, which recasts the honorific military holiday in the light of the reality of racism and mistreatment suffered by many Black veterans. Made when the artist was in his 70s and experiencing significant, if delayed, art-world attention, New Veteran’s Day is a powerful example of Dial’s large-scale formal abstraction charged with political content. Nearby, Dial’s colorful drawings of women at work and in contemplation explore the daily experiences of women in Alabama.
- Maker/Artist
- Dial, Thornton
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Woven rugs, carpet, cotton rags/shirts, velvet, wood (plywood, composite, solid wood, hollow core door), tin cans, nails, enamel, and spray paint, plastic, galvanized steel, wire, electrical cord, staples.
- Medium
- woven, rugs, carpet, cotton, rags, shirts, velvet, wood, plywood, composite, solid, hollow, core, door, tin, cans, nails, enamel, spray, paint, plastic, galvanized, steel, wire, electrical, cord, staples
- Dimensions
- overall: 86 × 73 × 16 in., 228 lb. (218.4 × 185.4 × 40.6 cm, 103.42kg) storage (with t-frame): 93 × 89 × 16 in., 440 lb. (236.2 × 226.1 × 40.6 cm, 199.58kg)
- Inscribed
- There are two lables on the verso, one from the Museum of Fine Arts Houson, and one from the Souls Grown Deep foundation. If there is an artist signature, it is not located in a conspicuous position.
- Departments
- Contemporary Art
- Accession Number
- 2018.28.1
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2018
- Rights Statement
- © artist or artist's estate
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
Have a concern, a correction, or something to add?
