The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 31, 2026

A horizontally oriented lithograph in black ink on white paper depicts a pair of spotted shoes with striped soles resting on a densely hatched rug. To the right, a vertical panel features wavy lines and dots. Below the shoes, a rectangular object with an arched handle sits near the bottom center. Scribbled patterns and thick, expressive lines fill the composition under a narrow top border.

Rug

1980

Philip Guston

(American, 1913–1980)
publisher

Gemini G.E.L.

America
lithograph
Sheet: 49.5 x 73.7 cm (19 1/2 x 29 in.)
Gift of Jack and Linda Lissauer in Honor of Susan and Dean Trilling 2024.47
© The Estate of Philip Guston
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The image seen in this print was one of 40 images that Philip Guston drew while working with print publisher Gemini G.E.L. He ultimately selected 25 to print and publish.

Description

This print is among the final artworks produced by Philip Guston during a career of more than five decades. Here, Guston focused on quotidian objects, including an iron and a pair of shoes, using them to symbolically represent his own life during his late years. The expressive line achievable through lithography—which involves drawing directly on a prepared stone—resulted in the expressive forms seen throughout the composition.
  • {{cite web|title=Rug|url=false|author=Philip Guston, Gemini G.E.L.|year=1980|access-date=31 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.47