Open Ended Nude
3 7/8 x 9 inchesOpen Ended Nude #81, 1977
paper: 3 13/16 x 8 15/16 inches
frame: 9 1/4 x 14 inches
numbered, signed and dated
#81 Wesselmann '77in pencil lower left recto. Inscribed in pencil on the verso: OPEN ENDED NUDE DRAWING EDITION #81 WESSELMANN pencil on 100% rag board 8215
Tom Wesselmann Digital Catalogue Raisonné Project
Tom Wesselmann Open Ended Nude #81, 1977, is registered under inventory number
P701.81in the Tom Wesselmann Digital Catalogue Raisonné Project published by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute.
Provenance
Collection of the Artist, New York
Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, with Sidney Janis Gallery label verso of frame
Private collection, New York, acquired from the above, 1978
Similar Drawings Exhibited
Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 1978.
The Open Ended Nude drawings form a remarkable and revealing series in Tom Wesselmann’s body of work. Originally conceived as a set of studies for larger paintings, the series evolved into a long-term exploration of variation within repetition—demonstrating Wesselmann’s meticulous attention to color, composition, and form. Each work is based on a single hand-made stencil of a reclining nude, which Wesselmann used as a constant outline across the series. However, within that fixed form, he embraced nearly endless possibilities for reinvention.
TOM WESSELMANN – OPEN ENDED NUDE DRAWINGS
(C. 1980S–EARLY 2000S)
The Open Ended Nude drawings form a remarkable and revealing series in Tom Wesselmann’s body of work. Originally conceived as a set of studies for larger paintings, the series evolved into a long-term exploration of variation within repetition—demonstrating Wesselmann’s meticulous attention to color, composition, and form. Each work is based on a single hand-made stencil of a reclining nude, which Wesselmann used as a constant outline across the series. However, within that fixed form, he embraced nearly endless possibilities for reinvention.
While the image remained consistent, no two drawings are exactly alike. Wesselmann used the series as a platform to experiment with a wide range of visual elements, including changes in hair color, skin tone, stockings, and other subtle additions. These experiments allowed him to refine ideas for larger works, but also produced a highly individualized set of works on paper, each finished uniquely.
Chazen Museum of Art, Madison
The artist meticulously recorded every finished work in his studio archive, noting the specific color combinations and assigning each a sequential number. However, not all drawings have had their sequence confirmed; those works are designated with an “X” in the numbering system, indicating they fall outside the documented numerical order. Though the project was initially “open-ended” in both concept and structure, Wesselmann ultimately chose to conclude the series when he reached number 200, after nearly twenty years of intermittent development.
The medium and support materials used throughout the Open Ended Nude series are notably varied, reflecting Wesselmann’s interest in process and material experimentation. Techniques and materials include:
- Pencil and acrylic on Bristol board
- Pencil and thinned acrylic on Bristol board
- Pencil on Bristol board
- Pencil and charcoal on Bristol board
- Pencil and thinned acrylic on rag board
- Pencil on rag board
- Pencil on shaped rag board
- Pastel on rag board
- Colored pencil on rag board
- Charcoal on rag board
- Pencil and thinned acrylic on rag paper
These diverse media combinations allowed Wesselmann to explore texture, opacity, and luminosity across a relatively small format. Most works measure between 3 13/16 to 4 1/16 inches in height and 8 7/8 to 9 inches in width, with slight size variations due to the hand-cut nature of the boards.
Although intimate in scale, the Open Ended Nude series is expansive in scope. It stands as a testament to Wesselmann’s sustained interest in the female form and his commitment to precision, iteration, and aesthetic investigation. These drawings are not only preparatory studies but complete works in their own right—deeply personal, subtly diverse, and endlessly inventive.
