Sollie 17 by Edward Kienholz is a piece waiting to be discovered.

I stumbled upon this installation as I was meandering through the Smithsonian American Art Museum. At the end of a long gallery, I walked behind a wall into what looked like a corridor from a seedy hotel. A dingy white wall, an old chair, a really old pay phone, and two dark wooden doors, one of which was slightly ajar compelled me to peek in.

A small sink full of dirty dishes blocked the entryway. Inside the cramped room was an old man depicted in three moments of his dreary day. He lies on his bed reading with one hand down his shorts, sits slumped on the edge of the bed playing solitaire, and stands by the window staring out at the bleak cityscape. Forgotten and alone. We are the voyeurs watching Sollie’s dismal life.

The use of photographic heads in this piece can be attributed to Nancy Kienholz’s background in photography. She collaborated with Ed ever since they met in the early 1970s. It wasn’t until 1981 that Ed, who had become quite the art star, credited his wife with being an equal partner in his art.

Ed and Nancy Kienholz scavenged the materials for this installation from the Pedicord Hotel, an old dilapidated residential hotel in Spokane, Washington. They created several installations with the theme of creepiness, isolation, and despair. Next time you are in Washington D.C., stop by and say hi to Sollie for me.