Burial of Gorky

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Currently not on view

Burial of Gorky

1950

Hans Burkhardt (American (born Switzerland), 1904–1994)

This sorrowful painting depicts a procession of columnar pallbearers carrying the body of Arshile Gorky in a funeral cortege. The blood that drips from the deceased artist's heart reflects Burkhardt's anguish at the passing of his friend and mentor, who committed suicide on July 21, 1948. Burkhardt first met Gorky in 1927, when he enrolled in his class at the Grand Central School of Art, New York, and later took private lessons in Gorky's studio until 1937, when he moved permanently to Los Angeles. Gorky taught Burkhardt the pictorial complexities of Cubism, the lessons of which can still be discerned in this heartfelt homage.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Burial of Gorky

Date:

1950

Artist:

Hans Burkhardt (American (born Switzerland), 1904–1994)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

32 × 42 inches (81.3 × 106.7 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift and partial purchase from the Hans G. and Thordis W. Burkhardt Foundation and the Edgar Viguers Seeler Fund, 2010

Accession Number:

2010-7-1

Geography:

Made in United States, North and Central America

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Currently not on view

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