The Cat Approaches

Brenda Goodman American, born 1943
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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.

The Cat Approaches

1974

Brenda Goodman

born 1943

American

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Oil and pencil on canvas

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

Paintings

Contemporary Art after 1950

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

74.183

Non-commercial all standard museum

Markings

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

Provenance

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

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

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, 2 (1975): p. 114.

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

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

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

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

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.

The Cat Approaches
The Cat Approaches