Where is “Meditation” now? Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 10B, Washington, D.C. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
According to an inscription, this painting shows a monkey named Chico that lived in Herman Hartwich's studio. The artist had just punished him for behaving badly, which probably explains the creature's downcast expression. The rough outlines and unfinished edges suggest that Hartwich painted this piece quickly, perhaps because the monkey did not stay still for very long.
