Antique Foul Mouthed Clown " Shoot Out" Gameboard

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“Shout Out” Foul-Mouthed Clown Carnival Gameboard, Early 20th Century. Exceptional early 20th-century American carnival gameboard, oil on canvas, featuring a … Read more “Shout Out” Foul-Mouthed Clown Carnival Gameboard, Early 20th Century. Exceptional early 20th-century American carnival gameboard, oil on canvas, featuring a wonderfully mischievous grinning clown rendered in bold shades of red, blue, and black. The clown’s oversized face fills the canvas, creating a striking and highly graphic composition. A wonderfully comedic play on words adds to the piece’s irresistible character: the painted dare “HIT ME HERE” appears across the clown’s bright red nose, while “FOUL” is emblazoned between his lips, serving simultaneously as game instruction and visual punchline. With its bold palette, expressive imagery, and wonderfully irreverent sense of humor, “Shout Out” transcends its original function as a carnival game to become a compelling work of American folk art. Its strong graphic quality gives the piece an unexpectedly modern presence and makes it particularly striking displayed as a large-scale work of art.

The gameboard comes from the celebrated Bruce and Doranna Wendel Collection, one of the most important collections of historic American gameboards assembled over the past half century.

Exhibited:
American Folk Art Museum, New York
Playing with Design: Gameboards, Art and Culture
September 13, 2024–January 26, 2025 See less