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In this drawing, part of a series that traces his son Max’s premature birth, the artist keeps vigil. Look closely at the bottom edge of the drawing, and you will see Abeles’ own notes about his son’s condition while in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. He records the date and time of his drawing shortly after a successful heart operation, that his son is a “fighter,” and includes a wish for him to “hang on.” Over time, the artist drew his son’s eventual recovery—from hospital to home—using his skills as an artist to record his parental hopes, fears, and devotion.
Thumbnail-size images of copyrighted artworks are displayed under fair use, in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, published by the College Art Association in February 2015.
8.12.83, Tiny Max, The Fighter, After his Heart Operation—Success!
Sigmund Abeles (American, born in 1934)
1983
Medium/Technique
Graphite pencil on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 21 × 27.3 cm (8 1/4 × 10 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Accession Number2024.2739
ClassificationsDrawings
In this drawing, part of a series that traces his son Max’s premature birth, the artist keeps vigil. Look closely at the bottom edge of the drawing, and you will see Abeles’ own notes about his son’s condition while in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. He records the date and time of his drawing shortly after a successful heart operation, that his son is a “fighter,” and includes a wish for him to “hang on.” Over time, the artist drew his son’s eventual recovery—from hospital to home—using his skills as an artist to record his parental hopes, fears, and devotion.
InscriptionsIn graphite, u.r.: 13; l.l.: Tiny Max 8.12.83, The Fighter, after his heart operation—success!/ 7:30 pm, a few hours after the knife. He's stable, please hang on, 'Patch'.
Provenance2023, gift of the artist to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 18, 2024)