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Gun in America

National Portrait Gallery
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Object Details

Artist
Roy Lichtenstein, 27 Oct 1923 - 29 Sept 1997
Exhibition Label
The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in the spring of 1968 unleashed a heated debate over America’s passion for personal firearms and the ease with which anyone could procure a rifle or pistol. By late June, Time magazine was reporting on this debate in its cover story, which focused on, among other things, the mounting cry for new curbs on citizens’ rights to bear firearms. The story caught people’s attention, and the magazine received countless pieces of mail from readers.
Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein created a vivid, riveting cover for the issue. He had long recognized the gun as an important element in American culture, and his image for Time was simply a variant of the pistol-gripping hand that he had produced on a felt banner several years earlier.
Los asesinatos de Martin Luther King Jr. y Robert F. Kennedy en la primavera de 1968 desataron un candente debate en torno a la pasión de los estadounidenses por las armas de fuego para uso personal y lo fácil que resultaba para cualquiera obtener un rifle o una pistola. A fines de junio, Time cubrió esta controversia como tema de portada, analizando entre otros puntos el creciente reclamo de nuevos frenos al derecho de portar armas. El reportaje acaparó la atención de los lectores, a juzgar por el volumen de cartas que recibió la revista.
La vívida portada que creó el artista pop Roy Lichtenstein para esta edición también causó impacto. Lichtenstein llevaba tiempo trabajando la imagen de la pistola como elemento importante de la cultura estadounidense. Su imagen para Time fue una variante de la mano con pistola que había creado para un cartelón de fieltro años antes.
Collection Description
In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine
1968
Object number
NPG.78.TC142
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Roy Lichtenstein
Type
Print
Medium
Screenprint on acetate
Dimensions
Sheet: 58.5 × 43.5cm (23 1/16 × 17 1/8")
Mat: 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Weapon\Gun
Record ID
npg_NPG.78.TC142
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4be145e6a-36a4-4f7b-abc2-85f22e4e707a

Related Content

  • 1968: A Year in the Collections

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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