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History of a Picture No. 1: Before the Jury
by Frank Wilcox
About the Artwork
Frank Wilcox submitted this satire of art exhibitions to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual May Show, suggesting his sense of humor. In the first part, a group of judges assesses a picture. Although one holds a notepad and another crouches before the picture, the rows of frames leaning against the wall in the background suggest the men work quickly. The man in the middle stares directly outward, shifting the judgment from the framed picture onto the viewer.
Inscriptions
Signed, in black ink, in bottom right: WILCOX
Provenance
1929: Mrs. Howard M. Hanna, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1929-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
The May Show: 11th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 23-June 2, 1929). Graphic Humor. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 1-August 29, 1982). Cleveland Art Comes of Age: 1919-1940. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 28-September 10, 1989).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Frank Wilcox (American, 1887–1964)
- Date
- c. 1929
- Medium
- pencil and wash heightened with white
- Dimensions
- Paper: 35.3 x 41.8 cm (13 7/8 x 16 7/16 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Howard M. Hanna
- Accession no.
- 1929.422
More by Frank Wilcox in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00011140
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