Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses

Alexis Smith
United States, born 1949
Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses, 1985
wall painting with two framed mixed-media collages
27 x 33 x 3.75 in. (68.6 x 83.8 x 9.5 cm), each of 2; overall dimensions vary
Museum purchase with partial funds from Ansley I. Graham Trust, Los Angeles
1995.9.1-2
© Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

When In Time

1947

Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American baseball player in the major leagues

1949
Alexis Smith born in the United States

1962
Seat belt invented

1970
Alexis Smith goes to college at the University of California - Irvine

1981

Sandra Day O'Conner becomes the first woman Supreme Court Justice

1985
Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses is made

1993
World Wide Web (www) invented for the Internet

Who What Where When Why

Who is the artist?
Alexis Smith

What is the name of the artwork?
Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses

What materials were used?
Wall painting with two framed mixed-media collages

Where is the artist from?
United States

When was the artwork made?
1985

Who?

Alexis Smith, also known as Patricia Anne Smith before changing her name, was born in 1949 in Los Angeles, California. Smith first became interested in art when she went to the University of California, Irvine. Smith is known for creating installation art and collage. She is also known for using words and famous quotes in her artwork. Smith’s artwork often includes popular people or places from America’s history. Today Smith lives and works in Los Angeles.

Why?

Men Seldom Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses is a good example of the way Smith uses people from American culture. The artwork is partly a painting directly on the wall, called a mural. It is also part collage, found inside the glasses frames. The woman pictured is Marilyn Monroe. Monroe was one of the most famous movie stars of the 1950s, and she is considered an important woman in American history. Most of the things inside the glasses relate to eyes. There is an eye-exam chart, lipstick, and photographs. Because this piece uses both collage and paint, it is called mixed-media.

Why do you think that Smith put the collage in Marilyn Monroe’s sunglasses?

Why do you think that the title of the artwork says that men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses? What do think this means?

Does the piece look different from up close and far away? Why?

Glossary Terms

Collage - A work of art made by attaching pieces of different materials to a surface.
Installation - A work of art that is created for a specific place, often using materials or physical features from that place.
Mixed-media - When two or more artistic media, like paint and collage, are used in the same artwork.
Mural - A very large image, such as a painting or enlarged photograph, applied directly to a wall or ceiling.