The present work, illustrated on the cover of Arts Magazine, May 1988
David Wojnarowicz’s The Anatomy and Architecture of June 19, 1953 (for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg), 1987, combines the political with the surreal. Chosen as the cover of Arts Magazine the year following its creation, the present work reflects the artist’s tendency to create works which highlight times of struggle and unrest in the United States. Here, Wojnarowicz chronicles the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a couple who were accused of spying for the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the U.S. An all-seeing eye on the left, set against an atmospheric backdrop and surrounded by electrical lines, collaged dollar bills and a brain, refers to this tumultuous time. The only American civilians to be executed for espionage in during the Cold War, Wojnarowicz seems to identify the subjects in the center of the composition, using a pair of skulls placed on either side of a Jewish star. Preoccupied with the political upheaval and governmental control of its subjects during the 1950s, the artist here draws an implicit connection between the Cold War era and the AIDS epidemic - the reality Wojnarowicz and other New-York based artists were living in the late 1980s.
This incredibly symbolic scene also illustrates Wojnarowicz’s refusal to adopt one signature style, often incorporating the mediums of photography, photo-collage, painting, and film into his practice. The present work showcases the artist’s varied influences and combines them in a way that is at once surreal, abstract, and figurative. It is this merging of disparate styles and elements that cements Wojnarowicz as a pivotal figure in the late 20th century New York art scene.
Provenance
Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York (acquired in 1987) PPOW Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
New York, Gracie Mansion Gallery, The Four Elements, September 17–October 18, 1987 Greenvale, Hillwood Art Gallery, Long Island University; Boston, Massachusetts College of Art North Gallery; Gambier, Olin Gallery, Kenyon College; University Park, Palmer Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State University; Boulder, University of Colorado Art Gallery; San Diego, Installation Gallery; San Francisco Jewish Community Museum; Chicago, Spertus Museum of Judaica; Aspen Art Museum, Unknown Secrets: Art and the Rosenberg Era, September 9, 1988–November 4, 1990, pl. 23, p. 52 (illustrated, titled The Anatomy and Architecture of June 19, 1953 (for the Rosenbergs))
Literature
David Wojnarowicz, interviewed by Matthew Rose, "David Wojnarowicz: An Interview," Arts Magazine, vol. 62, no. 9, May 1988, p. 62 (illustrated on the cover and on p. 62) Rob A. Okun, “The Rosenbergs: Collected Visions of Artists and Writers,” in Rethinking Marxism: a journal of economics, culture, and society, Fall 1989, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 67 (illustrated, titled The Anatomy and Architecture of June 19, 1953 (for the Rosenbergs)) Ben Neill, interviewed by Slyvère Lotringer in David Wojnarowicz: A definitive history of five or six years on the lower east side, New York, 2006, p. 113 Cynthia Carr, Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz, New York, 2012, p. 369
The Anatomy and Architecture of June 19, 1953 (for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg)
signed, titled, dedicated, inscribed and dated ""THE ANATOMY AND ARCHITECTURE OF JUNE 19, 1953." For Julius + Ethel Rosenberg 1987 N.Y.C. David Wojnarowicz" on the reverse acrylic and paper collage on Masonite mounted on wood 35 7/8 x 35 7/8 in. (91.1 x 91.1 cm) Executed in 1987.