You seldom get to look at the back of paintings in public art museums and when you do, what you find is seldom exciting. One exception at least is the reverse of American Tom Wesselmann’s shaped painting Still Life 56 in the collection of Musee d'Art Moderne et d'Art Comtemporain (MAMAC) in Nice.
There in a graphic script are a rash of instructions by the artist to ensure the multi-part painting is assembled correctly. Wesselmann took no chances. “Save bolt & replace on wire during storage” he suggests and “See important note on opposite end of stretcher.”
What was that note we hear you ask. Unfortunately it was too tricky to reach and photograph without sending the entire installation tumbling to the floor and Tom Wesselmann wouldn’t have liked that one bit.
You can see the front of the painting here. Click on image to get a better view.
