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Cortez

A work made of inkjet print.

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  • A work made of inkjet print.

Date:

2016

Artist:

Deana Lawson
American, born 1979

About this artwork

For nearly a decade, Lawson has been investigating the visual expression of black culture nationally as well as globally. Her photographs speak to the ways in which personal and social histories, family legacies, sexuality, social status, and religious or spiritual ideas may be drawn upon the body. Lawson recently began making frequent visits to Prattville, Alabama, where she met Cortez among a group of men. Posing him suggestively atop the men’s car—which she describes as their symbol of masculinity—she reveals a deep rapport with her subject and an exceptional attention to detail, as she makes meaningful everything from Cortez’s fingernails to the personal objects strewn around the car’s interior.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Deana Lawson

Title

Cortez

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 2016

Medium

Inkjet print

Edition

3 of 4

Dimensions

Image/paper: 225.9 × 290.4 cm (88 15/16 × 114 5/16 in.); Frame: 104 × 116.8 × 4.3 cm (41 × 46 × 1 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Christopher E. Olofson

Reference Number

2017.374

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.

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