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Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

The Jean Seller

This painting was created at the height of the 1980s designer denim craze when Jordache, Calvin Klein, and Guess promoted jeans as high-style, costly purchases. Valadez is known for his realistic depictions of everyday people on the streets of Los Angeles. The artist worked in a sweatshop when he was young and many of his images have incorporated fashion-related imagery including zoot suits, clothing merchants, and shoppers.

ArtistJohn Valadez, born 1951
Date1989
MediumPastel on paper
Dimensions41 5/8 x 18 1/4 x 1 3/4 in.
Signedl.l.: John Valadez 89
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2010.29
ClassificationDrawing
Provenance(Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA); to Sandy Besser [1936-2011], Santa Fe, NM, 2002; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2010
On ViewNo
The Jean Seller41.6 × 18.3 in.Tennis Ball2.7 in. diameter

This artwork's face covers about 104× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.