The Whale (The United States Capitol)

2012-2013

Robert Longo

Associated Names
Robert Longo

Artist, American, born 1953

This drawing is made up of seven panels arranged in a horizontal line that all show a detailed black and white panorama of the United States Capitol building, captured from a distance. The dome of the building is captured in the central panel, while the rest of it extends to the left and the right. The far right and left panels don't contain any of the building and show only the surrounding landscape. All of the columns, windows, doorways, and decorative engravings are captured in extreme detail. The sky behind the building is dark, with a few light gray clouds. The foreground features the black silhouettes of trees, partially obscuring the bottom of the building. There is a small amount of space between each panel, creating vertical white lines that divide the drawing. “

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    charcoal on seven sheets of paper mounted to aluminum

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Clifford Ross

  • Dimensions

    overall: 307.66 × 1253.18 cm (121 1/8 × 493 3/8 in.)
    panel (.a): 307.66 × 180.66 cm (121 1/8 × 71 1/8 in.)
    panel (.b): 307.66 × 154.94 cm (121 1/8 × 61 in.)
    panel (.c): 307.66 × 154.94 cm (121 1/8 × 61 in.)
    panel (.d): 307.66 × 180.66 cm (121 1/8 × 71 1/8 in.)
    panel (.e): 307.66 × 154.94 cm (121 1/8 × 61 in.)
    panel (.f): 307.66 × 154.94 cm (121 1/8 × 61 in.)
    panel (.g): 307.66 × 180.66 cm (121 1/8 × 71 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2023.6.1.a-g

  • Copyright

    © Robert Longo, courtesy the artist and Pace Gallery

More About this Artwork

Article:  Robert Longo’s Huge Drawings of America’s Seats of Power

The American artist challenges our ideas about the medium with some of the largest drawings you’ll ever see.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; Pace Gallery, New York; gifted to the NGA, Washington, 2023

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2013

  • Robert Longo: The Capitol Project, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut, March 24 - August 25, 2013

2014

  • Robert Longo: Strike The Sun, Petzel Gallery, NY, April 10 - May 10, 2014

2020

  • Robert Longo: Storm of Hope, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, November 21, 2020 - February 27, 2021

2021

  • Storm of Hope: Law & Disorder, Palm Springs Art Museum, CA, June 26, 2021 - March 27, 2022

2023

  • Robert Longo Drawings: Engines of State, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2023-2024.

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