The Continental Self

Artist William Wiley American, 1937–2021

Date1993

MediumAcrylic and graphite on canvas

Dimensions30 1/4 x 26 1/2 in. (76.8 x 67.3 cm)
Frame: 38 1/2 x 35 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (97.8 x 90.2 x 4.4 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Mary and Jim Patton

Object number2014.20.79

On View

Not on view

Label TextWiley is one of the influential artists in the Bay Area Funk Movement, known for their "funky," humor-filled pieces presented in an interesting, representational manner. Many of Wiley’s works originated as a response to abstract expressionism. From these roots Wiley developed his own eccentric and identifiable style, full of jokes and references to the absurd. As he noted in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine in 2009, many critics were originally dismissive of his work due to their nonserious nature: "[Art critics are] too serious. To be stuck on this planet without humor wouldn’t be much fun." Wordplay is often used, not only in the title of his works but also in the pieces themselves, with texts sometimes sprinkled within his paintings and etchings, as seen in Spooky on the Line. The title of The Continental Self is an example of this play as well, as the artist substitutes self for shelf and thereby moves the subject from an undersea landmass to an individual—imagined or real.
[J. Dasal, 2014]ProvenanceCreated California, 1993; collection of the artist [Max Protech Gallery, New York]; Mary and James R. Patton Jr., Great Falls, VA; given to NCMA, 2014.

Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “The Patton Collection: A Gift to North Carolina,” March 28–August 23, 2015.
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