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Bowl of Fruit

Martha Rosler

Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art

In her photomontages, Martha Rosler cuts out images of women’s bodies, mimicking corporeal trauma and the violence of war. In Bowl of Fruit, the image of a Vietnamese child crouching quietly on a modern kitchen counter is included. The contrast between the child and the wealthy white suburban home calls attention to the possibility for domestic complacency in the face of—and insulation against—an inundation of media depictions of the Vietnam War. Rosler also explores the housewife’s role as an audience for the distractions of consumerism, while she is at the same time depicted as a “product,” by juxtaposing the consumption of food, media, and pornography.
MEDIUM Estimated chromogenic photograph
DATES 1966–1972
DIMENSIONS 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm) frame: 20 3/4 × 16 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (52.7 × 41.9 × 3.8 cm)  (show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER 2011.84
CREDIT LINE Emily Winthrop Miles Fund
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Martha Rosler (American, born 1943). Bowl of Fruit, 1966–1972. Estimated chromogenic photograph, 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Emily Winthrop Miles Fund, 2011.84. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photograph courtesy of the artist, CUR.2011.84_TL2011.66_artist_photo.jpg)
EDITION Edition: 8/10 with 2 APs
IMAGE overall, CUR.2011.84_TL2011.66_artist_photo.jpg. Photograph courtesy of the artist
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RIGHTS STATEMENT © Martha Rosler
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