Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Figure

Earl Kerkam American
1950
Not on view
Forgotten today, Kerkam was considered a key figure by his friends de Kooning and Pollock. His insistence on process rather than finished painting bound him to the New York School, even if he did not aspire to the abstract grandeur of his colleagues. Instead, he remained true to the intimate quality of painting as practiced by Bonnard and Vuillard. “I can’t talk French, but I can paint French,” he liked to say. In a 1951 article for Art News, Elaine de Kooning described how Kerkam began this painting as a study from a female nude, transforming it before her eyes into a male figure.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Figure
  • Artist: Earl Kerkam (American, 1891–1965)
  • Date: 1950
  • Medium: Oil and enamel on cardboard
  • Dimensions: 39 5/8 × 29 1/2 in. (100.6 × 74.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection, Gift of Muriel Kallis Newman, 2006
  • Object Number: 2006.32.27
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American
Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907
The Liar, the copy of the Liar - 1, Francis Alÿs Belgian, Enamel on metal sheet, oil on paperboard with masking tape and oil and wax on canvas glued to particle board
The Liar, the copy of the Liar - 1
Francis Alÿs
1991–94
Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American
Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15
Black Untitled, Willem de Kooning American, born The Netherlands, Oil and enamel on paper, mounted on wood
Black Untitled
Willem de Kooning
1948
Man and Two Women (Henderson Ledger Artist B), Frank Henderson Native American, Pencil, colored pencil, and ink on paper, Arapaho
Man and Two Women (Henderson Ledger Artist B)
Frank Henderson
ca. 1882

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.