“Old 16” Tin Can Art by David Wasserman
Many great pieces of art have been created based on the exciting Vanderbilt Cup Races, most notably by the wonderful artist Peter Helck. One of the most unusual works of Vanderbilt art is this tin can piece by David Wasserman.
David Wasserman's work was described in an article The Art of Can: Reusing Tin Cans as Art.
It was in the early 1960's, long before "recycling" and "reusing" became fashionable, when David Wasserman began digging trash cans in Eisenhower Park, Long Island, looking for "the right shade of red or green or yellow" to complete another Tin Can artwork. For years, he refused for any kind of public showing except for a website set up by his son, Steven, back in 1997. In the Spring of 1999, Wasserman agreed to let his son arrange an exhibition of his tin can art at the Tennessee State Museum. Sadly, he died of complications related to Parkinson's disease during the preparations for that show. The exhibit opened on December 7, 1999 and was held over until March 10, 2000.
One of David Wasserman's most impressive masterpieces was the above 63 inches x 48 inches tin cap piece based on a photograph of Old 16, winner of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race winner. The work is displayed in the lobby of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville. More information on David Wasserman can be found on tincanman.net, a website created by his son Steven.
July 12, 2010 Update: Just Discovered Six Degrees of Separation: David Wasserman's grandson is married to my wife's cousin's daughter! Moreover, the family homes of the Wassermans and the Kroplicks were less than one mile apart in East Meadow, New York.
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com
Index: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race
Comments
Thank you, Howard, for including my father’s work in your blog. And thank you for sending me a copy of your wonderful book. I will be stopping briefly in Long Island in early May for a high school reunion, and I hope to be able to talk to the new director of the Nassau County Museum of Art about hanging some of my father’s works in the museum.
Hi Steven:
Thanks for the comment. Your father’s art is amazing.
Please contact me when you are on Long Island and we can go for a ride in the “Black Beast”.
Howard