Stuart Davis (American, 1892–1964)
Ready-to-Wear
INV-2189
Stuart Davis (American, 1892–1964)1955
Ready-to-Wear
Stuart Davis (American, 1892–1964) →ModernismCubismpaintingmodern and contemporary art
Date
1955
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
142.6 × 106.7 cm (56 1/8 × 42 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund W. Kunstadter; Goodman Endowment Fund
The title of this vibrant painting refers to the American invention of mass produced, or “ready-to-wear,” clothing, a term first employed in an 1895 Montgomery Ward catalog. Stuart Davis looked to the sights and sounds of popular culture throughout his successful career, excited by innovations he saw in advertising, industry, and jazz music. Here, the broad, flattened areas of red, white, black, and blue may represent leftover pieces of fabric, while the angular white shape in the upper-right corner evokes a pair of scissors. With its bright palette and energetic composition, the painting celebrates not only the vitality of the ready-to-wear clothing industry but also, Davis suggested, America itself.
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