Elaine Reichek, Sampler (H. R.), Embroidery on linen, 1993
Artist/Maker:
Elaine Reichek
Bio:
American, b. 1943
Title:
Sampler (H. R.)
Portfolio/Series:
A Postcolonial Kinderhood
Date:
1993
Medium:
Embroidery on linen
Dimensions:
16 5/16 × 11 1/16 in. (41.4 × 28.1 cm)
Credit Line:
Purchase: Melva Bucksbaum, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Shafran, and Joan Kaplan Gifts; Fine Arts Acquisitions Committee Fund; and Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, Cheryl and Henry Welt, Paula Krulak, Toby Devan Lewis, and Henry Buhl Gifts
Accession Number:
1997-195f
Copyright:
NE license written into invoice from Gallery - 5/12/2010 jm

Not On View

"Don't be loud. Don't be pushy. Don't talk with your hands. -H.R."

Elaine Reichek’s embroideries subvert the life lessons typical of the idealized Jewish girlhood of 1950s suburbia. These samplers are part of Reichek’s installation A Postcolonial Kinderhood, which included colonial-style furnishings and objects, and premiered at The Jewish Museum in 1994. Reichek has said of this work, “The re-creation of my childhood bedroom explores the idea of décor as a means of Americanizing, of ‘passing,’ and of connecting people to a past they wished was their own.” Trained in formalist painting, Reichek taught herself embroidery in the 1970s, insisting that women’s traditional crafts can be a powerful means of picture-making.

Information may change as a result of ongoing research.

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