Electric Hawaiian Guitar
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Bodies and instruments merge through music’s healing power. This custom lap steel guitar in the form of a crutch, made for the country-music singer Barbara Mandrell after a devastating car accident, offers both physical and emotional support. With its gliding notes and mournful inflections, hallmarks of country music, the steel guitar has a vocal quality capable of expressing sorrow and longing. An inscription on the back by the maker reads: "Barbara! With God / You Will Make It / Jesus Loves You / and I Love You / Semie 1984."
Artwork Details
- Title: Electric Hawaiian Guitar
- Artist: Semie Moseley
- Date: 1984
- Medium: Wood, rubber, brass, and chrome
- Dimensions: 47 1/4 x 8 1/4 in.
- Classification: Chordophone
- Credit Line: National Music Museum, South Dakota; Board of Trustees, 1998
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
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