Johannes Theodor Baargeld (Alfred Emanuel Ferdinand Gruenwald) The Red King (Le Roi rouge) 1920

  • Not on view

The support used for this work is supposedly wallpaper torn from Max Ernst's own walls. Wheels, screws, rods, and inscriptions are drawn in to create the appearance of a technical diagram of an enigmatic machine. The central wheel is inscribed "Le Curé" (The priest), and warnings such as "Ne touchez pas cette tête" (Do not touch this head) and "Méfiez vous des loueurs de chambres" (Beware of those who rent rooms), along with directives, "Marchez marchez" (Go) and the declaration, "_enfant je t’_ai...donné ce que j'avais" (Child I gave you...what I had), suggest themes of danger and vulnerability.

Gallery label from Dada, June 18–September 11, 2006.
Medium
Ink on printed wallpaper
Dimensions
19 3/8 x 15 1/4" (49.2 x 38.7 cm)
Credit
Purchase
Object number
283.1937
Department
Drawings and Prints

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Provenance Research Project

This work is included in the Provenance Research Project, which investigates the ownership history of works in MoMA's collection.

Tristan Tzara, Paris. Acquired from the artist, probably December 1920
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchased from the above, 1937

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