The Great Blondino (Self-Portrait)

Painting

-

di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art

Name/Title

The Great Blondino (Self-Portrait)

Entry/Object ID

77

Description

Blindfolded tightrope walker with question mark above head pushing wheelbarrow across tightrope suspended above water; grey tones

Artwork Details

Medium

Acrylic on Canvas

Category

Painting

Acquisition

Accession

AR0077

Source or Donor

Hansen Gallery

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Made/Created

Artist

William T. Wiley

Date made

1965

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Signature

Location

Recto, lower right

Transcription

Wm. T. Wiley

Material/Technique

Painted

Lexicon

LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

Self-portraits

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Object

Height

84 in

Width

84 in

Exhibitions

Exhibition

The Incorrect Museum - Ongoing

Notes

May 3, 2025 - March 4, 2026

Exhibition

Found: Everyday Objects in Bay Area Art

Notes

August 20 - October 1, 2005, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa

Exhibition

William T. Wiley and the Slant Step: All on the Line

Notes

January 8 - May 7, 2022, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, Davis

Research Notes

Research Type

Curator

Date

2025

Notes

The Great Blondin was a renowned 19th-century French tightrope walker and acrobat. He became famous for his daring tightrope walks, particularly his crossings of Niagara Falls. He walked blindfolded, carried people on his back, pushed wheelbarrows, and even cooked an omelet while on the tightrope. Fascinated with the acrobat’s antics, Wiley produced this curious painting as well as a film about Blondin which premiered in 1967.