Inauguration

Jack Levine, Inauguration, 1956-1958, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.54
Copied Jack Levine, Inauguration, 1956-1958, oil on canvas, 72 x 63 in. (183.0 x 160.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.54

Artwork Details

Title
Inauguration
Artist
Date
1956-1958
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
72 x 63 in. (183.0 x 160.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Occupation — political — president
  • Dress — accessory — eye wear
  • Dress — ceremonial — academic dress
  • Occupation — law — Supreme Court justice
  • Object — written matter — Bible
  • Ceremony — civic — inauguration
Object Number
1986.6.54
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.54

Artwork Description

Inauguration portrays the solemnity of the quadrennial ceremony in which the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court administers the oath of office to the nation’s president-elect. Levine identified the presidential figure as a combination of Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower, suggesting the continuity of the American democratic process.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
Smithsonian American Art Museum
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.