The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 14, 2025

Rachel on the Grass

1985

Bea Nettles

(American, b. 1946)
America
dye transfer print
Image: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
Gift of the Artist 2023.23
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

After the birth of her daughter in 1978, Bea Nettles sought inspiration near at hand in the domestic sphere, radical subject matter in a male-dominated art form.

Description

In this picture of her daughter playing on the grass, Nettles exploits the richly saturated colors offered by the dye-transfer process to express the exuberance and sensuousness of the moment. The most stable color process of the time, dye-transfer was so complex that most artists had their prints made by professional labs. Nettles was one of the few artists who mastered this technique.
  • 1985-2023
    Bea Nettles (the artist) [1946-], Urbana, IL, given to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    March 6, 2023-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Rachel on the Grass|url=false|author=Bea Nettles|year=1985|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.23