Skip to Content
Today Open today 10–11 members | 11–5 public

Miscegenated Family Album

A work made of sixteen silver dye bleach print diptychs, framed
1)	sisters i (l: nefertiti, r: devonia)
2)	sisters ii (l: nefertiti's daughter merytaten, r: devonia's daughter candace)
3)	sisters iii (l: nefertiti's daughter maketaten, r: devonia's daughter kimberley)
4)	sisters iv (l: devonia's sister lorraine, r: nefertiti's sister mutnedjmet)
5)	ceremonial occasions i (l: devonia as matron of honor, r: nefertiti performing a lustration)
6)	ceremonial occasions ii (l: devonia attending a wedding, r: nefertiti performing an aten ritual)
7)	a mother's kiss (t: candace and devonia, b: nefertiti and daughter)
8)	motherhood (l: nefertiti, r: devonia reading to candace and edward, jr.)
9)	young princesses (l: nefertiti's daughter ankhesenpaaten, r: devonia's daughter candace)
10)	wordly princesses (l: nefertiti's daughter merytaten, r: devonia's daughter kimberley)
11)	crowned heads (l: nefertiti's husband akhenaten, r: devonia's husband edward)
12)	young queens (l: nefertiti, aged 24, r: devonia, aged 24)
13)	progress of queens (l: devonia, aged 35. r: nefertiti, aged 36)
14)	cross-generational (l: nefertiti, the last image, r: devonia's daughter kimberley)
15)	hero worship (l: devonia at 14 and lorraine at 3, r: devonia at 24 and lorraine at 13)
16)	sibling rivalry (l: nefertiti, r: nefertiti's sister mutnedjmet).
© 2018 Lorraine O'Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Image actions

  • A work made of sixteen silver dye bleach print diptychs, framed
1)	sisters i (l: nefertiti, r: devonia)
2)	sisters ii (l: nefertiti's daughter merytaten, r: devonia's daughter candace)
3)	sisters iii (l: nefertiti's daughter maketaten, r: devonia's daughter kimberley)
4)	sisters iv (l: devonia's sister lorraine, r: nefertiti's sister mutnedjmet)
5)	ceremonial occasions i (l: devonia as matron of honor, r: nefertiti performing a lustration)
6)	ceremonial occasions ii (l: devonia attending a wedding, r: nefertiti performing an aten ritual)
7)	a mother's kiss (t: candace and devonia, b: nefertiti and daughter)
8)	motherhood (l: nefertiti, r: devonia reading to candace and edward, jr.)
9)	young princesses (l: nefertiti's daughter ankhesenpaaten, r: devonia's daughter candace)
10)	wordly princesses (l: nefertiti's daughter merytaten, r: devonia's daughter kimberley)
11)	crowned heads (l: nefertiti's husband akhenaten, r: devonia's husband edward)
12)	young queens (l: nefertiti, aged 24, r: devonia, aged 24)
13)	progress of queens (l: devonia, aged 35. r: nefertiti, aged 36)
14)	cross-generational (l: nefertiti, the last image, r: devonia's daughter kimberley)
15)	hero worship (l: devonia at 14 and lorraine at 3, r: devonia at 24 and lorraine at 13)
16)	sibling rivalry (l: nefertiti, r: nefertiti's sister mutnedjmet).

Date:

1980/94

Artist:

Lorraine O’Grady
American, born 1934

About this artwork

As an artist of African, Caribbean, and Irish descent, Lorraine O’Grady has mainly focused on representations of black female subjectivity, often through the lens of family, literary, and art-historical narratives. Her work combats the elimination of difference across a spectrum of social concerns, while championing the positive values of hybridization. Miscegenated Family Album is a series of diptychs, each containing an image of the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti paired with a corresponding image of the artist’s deceased sister, Devonia Evangeline O’Grady Allen, or members of their respective families. The physical resemblances between the individuals within any given diptych are sometimes startling. Both families, in fact, reflect the consequences of generations of cross-cultural exchange and interracial marriage.

Status

On View, Gallery 295

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Lorraine O'Grady

Title

Miscegenated Family Album

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.

1980–1994

Medium

Sixteen silver dye bleach print diptychs, framed 1) Sisters I (L: Nefertiti, R: Devonia) 2) Sisters II (L: Nefertiti's daughter Merytaten, R: Devonia's daughter Candace) 3) Sisters III (L: Nefertiti's daughter Maketaten, R: Devonia's daughter Kimberley) 4) Sisters IV (L: Devonia's sister Lorraine, R: Nefertiti's sister Mutnedjmet) 5) Ceremonial Occasions I (L: Devonia as Matron of Honor, R: Nefertiti performing a lustration) 6) Ceremonial Occasions II (L: Devonia attending a wedding, R: Nefertiti performing an Aten ritual) 7) A Mother's Kiss (T: Candace and Devonia, B: Nefertiti and daughter) 8) Motherhood (L: Nefertiti, R: Devonia reading to Candace and Edward, Jr.) 9) Young Princesses (L: Nefertiti's daughter Ankhesenpaaten, R: Devonia's daughter Candace) 10) Wordly Princesses (L: Nefertiti's daughter Merytaten, R: Devonia's daughter Kimberley) 11) Crowned Heads (L: Nefertiti's husband Akhenaten, R: Devonia's husband Edward) 12) Young Queens (L: Nefertiti, aged 24, R: Devonia, aged 24) 13) Progress of Queens (L: Devonia, aged 35. R: Nefertiti, aged 36) 14) Cross-Generational (L: Nefertiti, the last image, R: Devonia's daughter Kimberley) 15) Hero Worship (L: Devonia at 14 and Lorraine at 3, R: Devonia at 24 and Lorraine at 13) 16) Sibling Rivalry (L: Nefertiti, R: Nefertiti's sister Mutnedjmet)

Edition

5 of 8, with 3 artist's proofs

Dimensions

Each: 67.3 × 95.3 cm (26 1/2 × 37 9/16 in.); 67.4 × 95.3 cm (26 1/2 × 37 1/2 in.); Each frame: 69.3 × 97 × 3.9 cm (27 1/4 × 38 3/16 × 1 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Through prior bequest of Marguerita S. Ritman

Reference Number

2008.81.1-16

Copyright

© 2018 Lorraine O'Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share