Collection Online as of March 27, 2023

(American, 1944-)

Acrylic on canvas

Framed: 122.7 x 133 x 8.2 cm (48 5/16 x 52 3/8 x 3 1/4 in.); Unframed: 111.7 x 121.9 cm (44 x 48 in.)

Purchased with a grant from the NEA and matched by gifts from members of The Cleveland Society for Contemporary Art 1974.53

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

The storefront in <em>New Shoes for H</em> depicts Simco Shoes, a store that once stood on the corner of University and East 14th Street in New York City.

Description

Don Eddy numbers among the American painters called "Photorealists." These artists used photographs as inspiration for skillfully rendered representational images, but in reality, their work did not report the factual accuracy that a photograph implies. Eddy once explained, "You can either look through the window, or at the window, or at the reflection in the window. Nobody ever looks at all three at once, because it is impossible to focus on all three." In New Shoes for H, however, Eddy tried to accomplish this feat. Rather than creating a realistic representation of the matter, Eddy re-interpreted the image, exaggerated colors, and combined elements of several different photographs. Although rendered in a realistic style, the resulting painting is a product of the artist's creativity and interpretation.

Inscriptions

Inscription

signed and dated on back of painting: Don Eddy, 1973-74

Provenance

(Nancy Hoffman Gallery, NY)

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 257 archive.org

Buser, Thomas. Experiencing Art Around Us. Australia ; United States : Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 14, fig 1-13

Exhibition history

Akron, OH: Akron Art Institute, 1974: Selections in Contemporary Realism, October 27-December 1, 1974, cat. p. 11, repr. cover

Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1975: "Year in Review 1974," Bulletin LXII (March 1975), p. 101, cat. no. 124, repr. p. 85

Toledo, OH: The Toledo Museum of Art, 1975: Image, Color and Form, January 11-February 9, 1975, cat. no. 13.

Williamstown, MA: Williams College Museum of Art, 1975: Don Eddy: Recent Paintings and Drawings, April 14-May 7, 1975.

Ann Arbor, MI, The University of Michigan Museum of Art, 1976: One Eye View: Impact of Photography on Paintings and Prints Since 1960.

Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976: Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Artists, cat. no. 16, repr. on frontispiece, detail on cover.

Lakewood, OH: The Beck Center, Materials and Techniques of 20th Century Artists, 1976.

Columbus, OH: Columbus Museum of Art, September 23th-29th, 1985: Partner's in Purchase: Ohio Museum and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Arts Day USA, Jun 7, 1990 (covered in black to encourage people to support the NEA and NEH).

Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; August 3 - October 3, 1999. "Object in Focus: New Shoes for H by Don Eddy".

Musee d'Art moderne et contemporain de Strasbourg. June 27- Oct. 5, 2003. "Hyperrealismes USA 1965-1975." exh. cat. p. 189.

Selections in Contemporary Realism. Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH (organizer) (October 27-December 1, 1974).

Image, Color, and Form. The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (organizer) (January 11-February 9, 1975).

Year in Review: 1974. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975).

Don Eddy: Recent Paintings and Drawings. Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA (organizer) (April 7-May 7, 1975).

Object in Focus: New Shoes for H by Don Eddy. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 3-October 3, 1999).