Whirligig

Artist George Bireline American, 1923–2002

Date2001–2002

MediumAcrylic on canvas

Dimensions70 x 79 in. (177.8 x 200.7 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the William R. Roberson Jr. and Frances M. Roberson Endowed Fund for North Carolina Art

Object number2006.11

On View

Not on view

Label TextGeorge Bireline was a central figure among North Carolina artists and created a diverse body of work during a long and influential career. Bireline explored a wide variety of artistic styles—from abstract expressionism to color-field painting, from trompe l’oeil to social commentary to figurative works, often moving back and forth between representation and abstraction, reality and illusion.

Whirligig is one of the last paintings that Bireline created, and it focuses on the forces of creation and destruction. An exploding universe filled with light, color, and movement, the animated surface of this painting seems to expand beyond its physical boundaries. The spinning poles and brightly colored flying spheres move on speedy trajectories through an expressionist field of quick brushstrokes and sinuous forms, capturing the act of creation in an incredibly buoyant and joyful manner. The swirling, complex composition of the painting is anchored by the simple, stark outline of a coffin with a floating blue lid that sits at the center and base of the work.
[L. Dougherty, 2006]ProvenanceCreated Raleigh, NC, 2001–2002; collection of the artist; bequeathed to his children Alexandria, Marek, and Lisè Bireline, 2002; sold to NCMA, 2006.

Published ReferencesGeorge Bireline: The Many Roads Taken (exhibition catalogue) (Greenville, NC: Greenville Museum of Art, 2004), discussed 12, mentioned 29, listed 32, illus. (color) cover.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, Lee Hansley Gallery, "George Bireline: Selected Paintings,"May 2-June 12, 2002.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "In Memoriam: George Bireline (1923-2002)," December 18, 2002-August 3, 2003.

Asheville, NC, "George Bireline: The Many Roads Taken," November 5, 2004-February 6, 2005; Greenville, NC, Greenville Museum of Art, March 4, 2005-May 6, 2005, cat. pp. 12, 29, 32, illus. (color) cover.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Close to Home,” August 18, 2013–August 10, 2014. Object Rights Statement

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