Creating Connections: Self-Taught Artists in the Rosenthal Collection Audio Exhibition
Nek Chand (Indian, 1924–2015), Standing Man, circa 1951–80, painted fired clay, broken china, rocks, and concrete, 34 1/2 x 12 x 12 in. (87.6 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm), Collection of Richard Rosenthal
Verbal Description
Hello, my name is Jill Cleary, and I am the museum’s visitor research coordinator. I will be reading the verbal description for Standing Man by Nek Chand in Creating Connections: Self-Taught Artists in the Rosenthal Collection.
Made sometime between 1951 and1980, Standing Man is a sculpture crafted from painted fired clay, broken china, rocks, and concrete. The artist, Nek Chand, was from India and lived from 1924 to 2015. It is in the collection of Richard Rosenthal.
Nek Chand’s Standing Man is a sculpture measuring 34 and one-half inches tall on a base of 12 by 12 inches or 87.6 by 30.5 by 30.5 centimeters. This sculpture may be viewed in the round. If you stand directly in front of it, the man faces the viewer with legs spread at about a 45-degree angle, his right just slightly in front of his left. His right arm is straight down at his side, his left arm bends slightly at the elbow with his left hand near his waist. The man’s skin is a light terra cotta color. He has a straight line for a mouth and a projecting rectangular shape for a nose. His wide, almond-shaped eyes do not have pupils. His white shirt has a square neckline and long sleeves. His trousers are shades of gray. He does not have feet and is standing on a square concrete base. The man’s hair is constructed of numerous small rocks in shades of gray and brown, creating a rough effect. The artist uses the same materials on his pants. Chand used pieces of broken china set in clay for the man’s shirt. The only color on the shirt is on the man’s upper left arm, where orange and yellow flowers are apparent on an inset fragment of a teacup.
Label Text
Hello, my name is Jill Cleary, and I am the museum’s visitor research coordinator. I will be reading the label for Standing Man by Nek Chand in Creating Connections: Self-Taught Artists in the Rosenthal Collection.
Made sometime between 1951 and1980, Standing Man is a sculpture crafted from painted fired clay, broken china, rocks, and concrete. The artist, Nek Chand, was from India and lived from 1924 to 2015. It is in the collection of Richard Rosenthal.
A road inspector in Chandigarh, India, Nek Chand constructed a mythical world he described as his poetry with rocks and a child’s dream. Large groups of figures and animals surround architectural elements and waterways—all made out of concrete and decorated with objects found at demolition sites and rubbish heaps. “I had many ideas; I was thinking all the time. I saw beauty and art in what people said was junk.” Working illegally on government property at the edge of the city, Chand’s environment encompassed twelve acres when a city work crew discovered it. The public fell in love with Chand’s world, which was officially named the Rock Garden and opened to visitors in 1976. Chand continued to work until his death in 2015, by which time the Rock Garden had expanded to thirty acres. Today, it welcomes thousands of visitors each day.