Collection

The Permanent Collection

Our permanent collection includes more than 5,350 works, capturing over a century of artistic vitality in Provincetown and on the Outer Cape.

This database offers a window into that rich legacy and our ongoing efforts to showcase contemporary artists working here. More than 2,700 pieces in our collection lack digital images. Our efforts to digitize the rest of our collection are ongoing; to contribute to this critical project to digitize the PAAM collection, please contact James Robertson, Chief Development Officer, by email at jrobertson@paam.org or visit: paam.org/donate/

COLLECTION IN THE COMMUNITY

PAAM regularly loans work from its permanent collection to community organizations and businesses, expanding public access to and appreciation of these important works of art. Works from the collection can currently be seen at Seamen’s Bank (Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet locations), Seashore Point in Provincetown, La Tanzi, Spaulding & Landreth LLP offices in Provincetown and Orleans, and David Marshall Datz, PC office in Provincetown and Orleans. To discuss arranging an artwork loan for your business or organization, please contact PAAM Registrar Madeleine Larson (mlarson@paam.org).

Self Portrait

Art

Large abstract face in red, blue, white, green

Description

Identity and self-perception hold many complexities. How one sees oneself, versus how they are understood by others, vacillates. When viewing a self-portrait, many layers of the human psyche exist. What lies in the obscurities of an abstract self-portrait amplifies such notions. At its core, abstract art questions the perception of reality. What is, may not be what is understood. From the intricacies of Robert Beauchamp’s "Self Portrait," one begins to understand the relationship of presentation and communication. Abstract art diverges from customary visual representation. Abstraction strips away the elements typically used to visually communicate. Therefore, the habits and cues one relies on become futile. The masks one thinks they understand, that they were trained to notice, lose their meaning.

Artist Information

Robert Beauchamp

Entry/Object ID

2812.Pa19

Artwork Details

Date made: 1993

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions (h x w): 33 in x 30 in

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type: Signature, Date

Location: Verso

Acquisition

Accession: 2812

Credit Line: Gift of Dorothy Philips, 2019