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Man Spirit Mask

1999
Not on view
Everyday objects, such as steam irons and ironing boards, act as both the subject and the material in Cole’s art. There, these household goods have a range of associations including slave ships, African art, domestic labor, and the found objects of the Dada and Surrealist art movements. In Man, the left panel, a manipulated, black-and-white photograph of Cole’s face is overlaid with the embossed outline and scarification-like markings of a steam iron. In Spirit (center), an iron’s base is rendered in brown tones and with blurred edges, referencing a scorched surface as well as the markings on Cole’s photograph of his face. At right, a bird’s-eye view of an antique dry iron with a wooden handle resembles an African mask placed over an upside-down version of Cole’s portrait.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Man Spirit Mask
  • Artist: Willie Cole (American, born Newark, New Jersey, 1955)
  • Printer: Randy Hemminghaus (American, born Canada 1957)
  • Printer: Gail Deery (American, 19th–20th century)
  • Publisher: Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
  • Date: 1999
  • Medium: Left panel: Photo-etching, embossing, and hand coloring
    Middle panel: Screenprint
    Right panel: Photo-etching and woodcut
  • Dimensions: 48 7/8 x 26 1/2 in. (124.1 x 67.3 cm) each
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Francis Lathrop and John B. Turner Funds, 2008
  • Object Number: 2008.263a–c
  • Rights and Reproduction: ©2010 Willie Cole
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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