Man sleeping on the steps
(1952)
Medium
enamel paint on composition board
Measurements
(76.2 × 101.6 cm)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1954
© National Gallery of Victoria
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Self-taught artist Robert Dickerson was a factory worker and professional boxer before he began painting seriously in his thirties. Living in a caravan with his wife and three children, Dickerson used the bathroom in the factory where he worked as a studio on the weekends. His breakthrough came in 1954 when the NGV purchased Man sleeping on the steps. Dickerson’s paintings, imbued with firsthand experiences of poverty and vulnerability, offer a raw and evocative portrayal of the human condition.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Sydney, New South Wales
Accession Number
3060-4
Department
Australian Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Subjects (general)
Daily Life Human Figures Marines and Seascapes
Subjects (specific)
full-length figures men (male humans) seas sleeping stairs suits (main garments)
Movements
Antipodeans