The Cat Approaches

1974

Brenda Goodman American, born 1943

Not On View

The Cat Approaches: 1 of Collection Gallery

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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About the Artwork

The raw emotional power of Goodman’s work sets her apart from others of the Cass Corridor group. Her paintings from the early 1970s are characterized by cryptic images, particularly organic shapes suggestive of body parts. These recurring symbols, set in fantastic combinations, explore the anxiety of living in a threatening city as well as hinting at personal tragedy.

Title The Cat Approaches

Artwork Date 1974

Artist Brenda Goodman

Life Dates born 1943

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Oil and pencil on canvas

Dimensions Unframed: 66 × 51 inches (167.6 × 129.5 cm) Framed (slat frame): 66 1/2 × 51 1/2 inches (168.9 × 130.8 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department Contemporary Art after 1950

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Conrad H. Smith Memorial Fund and the Gertrude Kasle Gallery

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 74.183

Markings

Signed Signed and dated, lower right: B. Goodman '74

Provenance

1974-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Bulletin of the DIA 54, no. 2 (1975): p. 114.

Arts and Crafts in Detroit. Exh. cat., DIA. Detroit, 1976, p. 232, no. 299 (ill.).

"Family Art Game." Detroit News/Detroit Free Press, April 18, 1982, p. 37 (ill.) [DIA Advertising Supplement].

"Family Art Game." Detroit News, April 29, 1984, p. 17 (ill.) [DIA Advertising Supplement].

Bulanda, George. "The Cat Approaches." Hour Detroit (April 2012): p. 33.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Courtesy of Brenda Goodman

Brenda Goodman, The Cat Approaches, 1974, oil and pencil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Conrad H. Smith Memorial Fund and the Gertrude Kasle Gallery, 74.183.