American Costume

Prints and Drawings

1970

David Hammons
American, born 1943

Initially appearing to be a drawing or print, this work is actually composed of the artist’s thumbprints, directly impressed upon brown paper. With them, David Hammons depicts an individual of African descent. The figure’s facial features and the distinctive textures of their hair and dress imbue the portrait with an exaggerated “primitiveness,” engaging widely held stereotypes about Black people. Juxtaposed with the title, the image challenges ideas of what being an American means and who it includes.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: David Hammons
Title: American Costume
Place: United States (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1970
Medium: Ink, powdered pigment and fixative on brown wove paper mounted to board
Dimensions: 63.2 × 50.2 cm (24 15/16 × 19 13/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Lannan Foundation
Reference Number: 1997.111

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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