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Untitled

2007

American, born 1977

Johnson re-imagines painting without a rectangular structure, allowing the drape of the painted fabric to open up allusions to everything-from the outfits of boxer Jack Johnson, the vivid robes and theatrical postures of entertainer James Brown, and the mesmerizing presence, stillness, and clarity of stars in a night sky. These works can read as mystical cloaks or ritual adornments as much as the after-effects of a painterly process.

Spray enamel on polyester

84 x 84 in. (213.4 x 213.4 cm)

Purchased with funds from Rebecca and Alexander Stewart in honor of Marisa Sánchez, and in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

2007.87

Provenance: [James Harris Gallery, Seattle, Washington, 2007]; purchased by Seattle Art Museum, 2007

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Rashid Johnson: Dark Matters, James Harris Gallery, July 12 - August 25, 2007.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, In A Silent Way, May 18 - December 1, 2013.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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