Philadelphia Wireman Sculpture

NameSculpture

Artist Philadelphia Wireman

Dateca.1970-1975

Place madePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North America

MediumMetal wire, tin, aluminum

Dimensionssculpture on base: 2 5/8 × 1 15/16 × 1 3/16 in. (6.7 × 5 × 3 cm)
sculpture only: 2 5/16 × 1 9/16 × 1 9/16 in. (5.8 × 4 × 4 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift in recognition of Janet Fleisher, A.2020.17.8

Object numberA.2020.17.8

ProvenanceThrough inheritance to Janet Fleisher Investment Corp., 2010 Purchased from Robert Leitch by Janet Fleisher Gallery, 1985 Found discarded in Philadelphia by Robert Leitch, 1982 This gift from the estate of Janet Fleisher consists of multiple works by two self-taught artists—The Philadelphia Wireman and Purvis Young--whom Janet Fleisher represented in her gallery in Philadelphia. Fleisher opened the Janet Fleisher Gallery near Rittenhouse Square in the mid-1960s and operated it for more than 30 years, until her retirement in 1996. She showed an eclectic variety of work, including work by self-taught or “outsider” artists, one of the earliest galleries to champion this genre of work. Janet Fleisher passed away in 2010.

DescriptionThis sculpture is comprised of a large piece of brass wire, encapsulating a bottle cap. The bottle cap is partially covered with tin foil, with a small abut of plastic below it that stabilizes the cap in its wire cage. The sculpture has a custom black metal base.