Driver

1975

Philip Guston American, 1913 - 1980

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About the Artwork

Born Philip Goldstein in Montreal, Guston (who changed his name in 1935) moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1919. After his father's suicide, he took refuge in drawing, creating a world that was distant from the burdens of family life. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Guston excelled in a succession of painting styles including social realism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism. Although his abstract expressionist canvases were very well received, he became disaffected with the idea that painting should be "autonomous, pure, and for itself." He wanted to make work that reflected the living, changing world. In 1967 he returned to figuration, delving into the rich life around him using a palette customarily limited to reds, pinks, grays, and turquoise. In Driver he presents the subject from an unexpected perspective, paring away extraneous detail to distill its essence. From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)

Title Driver

Artwork Date 1975

Artist Philip Guston

Life Dates 1913 - 1980

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Unframed: 63 1/4 × 67 1/4 inches (160.7 × 170.8 cm) Framed: 72 1/2 × 76 1/2 inches (184.2 × 194.3 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department Contemporary Art after 1950

Credit Bequest of James Pearson Duffy

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2010.106

Markings

Signed Signed, verso, upper left: PHILIP GUSTON Signed in red, lower right: Philip Guston

Inscriptions Inscribed, titled, dated, verso, upper left: PHILIP GUSTON | "DRIVER" 1975 | OIL- 63 1/4" X 67 1/4 "

Provenance

The artist

(1976, David McKee Gallery, New York, New York, USA)

April 22, 1976, purchase by James Pearson Duffy

2010-present, bequest to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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