George Segal (American, 1924-2000). <em>Girl on a Chair</em>, 1970. Plaster, wood and paints, 36 x 24 x 11 3/4 in. (91.4 x 61.0 x 29.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Frederick E. Sherman, 78.213. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.213_view1_bw.jpg)

Why is this image so small?

This image is presented as a "thumbnail" because it is protected by copyright. The Brooklyn Museum respects the rights of artists who retain the copyright to their work.

George Segal (American, 1924-2000). Girl on a Chair, 1970. Plaster, wood and paints, 36 x 24 x 11 3/4 in. (91.4 x 61.0 x 29.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Frederick E. Sherman, 78.213. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.213_view1_bw.jpg)

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

I have a question about this because I didn't fully understand the artist's quote in the description that explained the art historical reference. It says: "the chair is like a ladder with steps, the box is like a house , the girl is like a Greek caryatid holding up the roof..."

That is a somewhat mysterious quote! The forms of the chair's back do resemble a ladder, that's true. A "caryatid" is an architectural column shaped like a human figure. They were used in classical Greek temples, for example.

However, ancient Greek architecture is always centralized and harmoniously proportioned, but this work is very "modern" in being so awkwardly placed. Everything is off-center, and I'm guessing that was likely the artist's intention -- to make us feel a little uneasy.

Girl on a Chair

George Segal

Contemporary Art

George Segal was an innovator in sculpture known for his installations of white plaster figures with ghostly appearances. He depicted the dignity in everyday life, showing people poised at a bus stop, paused before a traffic intersection, or conversing on a park bench. Segal's work also took on political themes such as the Holocaust and gay pride. At the time this sculpture was created, the artist discussed its art historical references: "The chair is like a ladder with steps, the box is like a house, the girl is like a Greek caryatid holding up the roof . . . I've always liked the hardness and softness combined, this wedding of organic and geometric."

ARTIST George Segal, American, 1924-2000

MEDIUM Plaster, wood and paints

DATES 1970

DIMENSIONS 36 x 24 x 11 3/4 in. (91.4 x 61.0 x 29.8 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE Unsigned

COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

ACCESSION NUMBER 78.213

CREDIT LINE Gift of Frederick E. Sherman

Copyright for this work may be controlled by the artist, the artist's estate, or other rights holders. A more detailed analysis of its rights history may, however, place it in the public domain. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

CAPTION George Segal (American, 1924-2000). Girl on a Chair, 1970. Plaster, wood and paints, 36 x 24 x 11 3/4 in. (91.4 x 61.0 x 29.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Frederick E. Sherman, 78.213. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.213_view1_bw.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 78.213_view1_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.