Guard Rail

“Guard Rail” is an exceptional and rare painting by Allan D’Arcangelo, the well regarded American pop artist from Buffalo, NY.

In 1964, D’Arcangelo created a series of paintings known as “Barriers.” As his oeuvre developed, he added overlapping barriers to the scenes, both painted and superimposed with actual objects that obscured the hard-edged vistas.

The painted part features a diamond-shaped vignette of a white road with black stripes cut into a field of reddish orange. The sculptural part is a real segment of chain-link fencing topped by barbed wire.

His richest period, and signature works depict the emblems of the American highway, blocked by the types of guard-rails found at railroad crossings and construction sites. “Guard Rail” has been in one collection since the late 60's, after a prestigious history at the Whitney as a gift of the artist. Like his contemporaries, D’Arcangelo was inspired by mass culture, including commercial packaging, pop personalities, and logos and advertising, but the roadway paintings are his most desirable works.