Peter Blake
Drum Majorette, 1957
Oil and collage on hardboard
33.25 x 26 inches
Donor

During the late 1950s and 1960s, Peter Blake was one of the major figures associated with British Pop Art. Many of his early works are fanciful portraits of popular entertainers, such as circus and fairground folk, which combine painting and found objects. In this work, a drum majorette wears a pair of real sunglasses and a colorful array of medallions. In contrast to the figure's ghostly face and amorphous body, the medals and glasses are colorful and tactile. This suggests that art becomes much more vivid when it incorporates real life.