Currently not on view
G.K.H.,
1969–70
More Context
Special Exhibition
<p><em>Masked Figure</em> derives from the body of work for which Grossman is best known, figures carved from soft wood and then covered in leather. The child of parents who worked in the garment industry, Grossman was fascinated by darts and gussets among other aspects of sewing and garment-making. Her early sculpted heads, like this one, were “blind,” with openings left for the nose in order to release some of the tension in the sculpture. Often using straps, zippers, and string, and frequently depicting males, her works are often seen as playing with sadism and masochism, but Grossman denies this and insists that they are autobiographical in their exploration of gender identity and fluidity.</p>
Information
1969–70
[Sotheby's, New York, May 3, 1989, lot 269]. Duane E. Wilder, Class of 1951, New York; bequeathed to the Princeton University Art Museum, January 2018.
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