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Peter Dean

(Berlin, Germany, 1934 - 1993)

Black Astronaut

1985

Oil on canvas

84 x 64 in. (213.4 x 162.6 cm)

Collection of the Akron Art Museum

Gift of Lorraine Dean and Gregory Dean

1994.19

More Information

This work is one of a series of paintings by Dean depicting parades. “I love the total madness and confusion of a ticker-tape parade in New York City,” said Dean. “This could be any astronaut but I suppose it’s John Glenn.” Glenn’s wife rode beside him in the parade. Her need to put on a public face may be the reason for the white, clown-like mask. The title does not refer to the astronaut’s race but rather to the dark shadows that surround and engulf him.

Keywords
Police
Parades
Texture
Clown
Rockets
Painting
American