Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Maker:
William Kentridge, born 1955, South Africa  Search this
Medium:
Charcoal, pastel, and tempera on paper
Dimensions:
H x W: 50.0 x 66.3 cm (19 11/16 x 26 1/8 in.)
Type:
Drawing and Collage
Geography:
South Africa
Date:
1994
Label Text:
Kentridge's works on paper can be regarded as "stills," which he can later transform into animated films. Like many South African artists, his works often comment on the turmoil and violence of apartheid. Kentridge, however, deftly relates these specific histories to larger shared human dramas.
The head, pictured as part of a corpse, is outlined in chalk as if from a crime scene. The vantage point through which the viewer sees this image resembles the round sight of a sniper's rifle.
Description:
Charcoal, pastel and tempera on paper drawing featuring a man's head outlined in chalk on the ground and viewed through a circular hole resembling the site or barrel of a gun.
Exhibition History:
Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue - From the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, November 7, 2014-January 24, 2016
African Art, African Voices: Long Steps Never Broke a Back, Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 2, 2004-January 2, 2005; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, January 27-April 30, 2006
Insights, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., February 27 to November 28, 2004
Encounters with the Contemporary, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 7, 2001-January 6, 2002
Claiming Art / Reclaiming Space: Post Apartheid Art from South Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 21-September 26, 1999
Published References:
Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 2010. "Impermanent by Design: The Ephemeral in Africa’s Tradition-based Arts." African Arts 23 (1), p. 15, no. 2.
Kreamer, Christine Mullen and Adrienne L. Childs (eds). 2014. Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue from the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 135, 146, no. 80, pl. 64.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
weapon  Search this
male  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchased with funds provided by the Annie Laurie Aitken Endowment
Object number:
98-12-1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© 1994 WJ Kentridge
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7c1b99717-d3fc-40ff-9d50-19a9f089a523
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_98-12-1