Artwork Info: Holding and Breaking

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Lorna Simpson is a groundbreaking American photographer & multimedia artist exploring identity, gender, race & history through photo-text installations, film & sculpture. First African-American woman at the Venice Biennale (1990).

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University (Durham, United States of America)

Discover the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University – a vibrant blend of Pre-Columbian artifacts and contemporary art fostering dialogue & exploration. Explore stunning exhibitions & architectural brilliance.

In this photograph, Lorna Simpson uses sequential images to tell a story. The first shows, from behind, the upper torso of an ambiguously gendered Black subject. The second shows a glass held in the figure’s hands, and the third shows the glass shattered on the floor below, with the words “an agreement” in bright green. From its original form to its broken state, the glass can be understood to represent the contract of an agreement that has not been honored. Simpson’s use of photographs in conjunction with text explores the ways in which context can affect meaning as well as the role of photography in society.

About this artwork

Title: Holding and Breaking
Artist: Lorna Simpson
Year: 1992
Original dimensions: 188.0 x 51.0 cm
Format: Tall
Copyright status: Under copyright
Where to see it: Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
Color palette: Neutrals
Color hue: Blue-Violet to Rose

Holding and Breaking

Lorna Simpson (1960 –)

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University (Durham, United States of America)

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Holding and Breaking

Lorna Simpson (1960 –)

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University (Durham, United States of America)

About this artwork

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