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Catalog Data

Creator:
Cox, Renée, 1960-  Search this
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
5.7 Linear feet
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as eight series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1945, 1955, 1973-2011 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet) Series 2: Correspondence, 1975-1977, 1990-2008 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet) Series 3: Writings, circa 1975, circa 1990s-2008 (Boxes 1-2; 0.4 linear feet) Series 4: Exhibition Files, circa 1990s-2010 (Box 2; 0.4 linear feet) Series 5: Projects and Professional Activities, circa 1987-2009 (Box 2, Box 7; 0.4 linear feet) Series 6: Personal Business Records, 1992-2015 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet) Series 7: Printed Material, 1974-2018 (Boxes 3-7; 3.4 linear feet) Series 8: Photographic Material, circa 1980s-2000s, undated (Boxes 6-7; 0.3 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of African American photographer Renee V. Cox measure 5.7 linear feet and date from 1973 to 2018, with individual materials from 1945 and 1955. The bulk of the materials date from the 1990s. The collection contains biographical material, correspondence, writings, exhibition files, materials related to Cox's photographic projects and other professional activities, personal business records, printed material, and photographic material.
Citation:
Renee V. Cox papers, 1945-2016, bulk 1990s. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Use Note:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Biography Note:
Renee V. Cox (1960- ) is a Jamaican-born African American photographer in New York, NY. She is known for using her work to celebrate Black womanhood and for confronting racism and sexism in her reimagined depictions of religious or cultural figures. Cox began her photographic career as a fashion photographer, working with major fashion houses, supermodels, and agencies to create images that were published in Essence , Seventeen , Mademoiselle , Ebony Man , Sportswear International , and many others.
In 1992, she earned her Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY and went on to attend the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program. Renee Cox was the first woman to attend the program while pregnant and she created works in her Yo Mama series during this time, including a statue of her nude, pregnant form.
In 2001, Cox's work Yo Mama's Last Supper was included in the Committed to the Image exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. The image is a reimagining of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper with Cox as Jesus surrounded by Black disciples and a white Judas. New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani called for a commission to set decency standards for any New York museum receiving public funds. In addition to the press coverage, Cox received hate mail and threats from people about the piece.
Cox continues to create work engaged in dialogues about the intersection of race, gender, class, and power. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in many private and public collections.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2019 by Renee V. Cox as part of the Archives' African American Collecting Initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women photographers  Search this
African American photographers  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)17631
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)397952
AAA_collcode_coxrenee
Theme:
African American
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_397952