Dave Forsythe

Artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn (born 1977)

Date2019

MediumOil paint, paint stick, gouache, black charcoal, soft pastel, oil pastel on linen canvas stretched over wood panel

Dimensions48 in. × 48 in. × 1 5/8 in. (121.9 × 121.9 × 4.1 cm)

ClassificationsPainting

Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, Gift of Jennifer and Matthew Harris, 2019.7

Signedverso, u.r.: Nathaniel M Quinn

Accession number 2019.7

On View

Not on view

Provenanceto (Almine Rech Gallery, Brussels, Belgium), 2019; purchased by Jennifer and Matthew Harris, New York, NY, 2019; given to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2019
Label TextIn this painting, Nathaniel Mary Quinn distorts his friend Dave Forsythe’s body by replacing his legs with those of Forsythe’s wife. Her legs serve metaphorically as a support and foundation and visually anchor the composition.

Quinn’s portraits never provide a direct representation of the sitters they depict. Each collage—comprised of a mash-up of references sourced from both popular culture and family photos—yields a final work that mixes narratives and histories the same way Quinn mixes drawing and painting materials. The final composite work speaks to the individual complexity of the person he portrays.
Inscribedverso, u.r.: Love Mom / Jesus [three hearts] / 2019
verso, u.r.: "David Forsythe" / Baby-Cakes Studio, LLC / © 2019