Chicago 25
| Artist | Aaron Siskind (American, 1903–1991) |
|---|---|
| Title | Chicago 25 |
| Series | Chicago |
| Date | 1957 |
| Medium | Gelatin silver print |
| Dimensions | Image: 17 11/16 × 22 1/2 in. (44.9 × 57.2 cm) Sheet: 20 × 23 7/8 in. (50.8 × 60.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 84.18.8 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
This image represents a chipped stone wall with a painted, partially destroyed "U" or horseshoe shape at the center.
Aaron Siskind’s gestural wall pictures recall Abstract Expressionism’s rejection of illusionistic pictorial space and embrace of the work’s inherent two-dimensional flatness. Whereas his painterly peers used smears and dips to articulate the surface, Siskind used light.
Frequently exhibiting with friends such as Franz Kline, Siskind was equally influential. His visual calligraphy mixed Dadaist found objects and collage elements with the formalism of the Bauhaus. His impact on photography was summed up by IU professor of photography Henry Holmes Smith, who said that “because of Siskind’s contribution, photography has finally completed its journey into the twentieth century.”
Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art’s collection includes two other works from Siskind’s Chicago series: Chicago 1 (Eskenazi Museum of Art 200. X.7.10) and Chicago 85 (Eskenazi Museum of Art 200. X.7.7).
| Series Title | Chicago |
|---|
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Chicago 25 | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=84.18.8