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Runaways

Glenn Ligon American
Publisher Max Protetch American
1993
Not on view
The stylized figures and descriptive texts in these prints resemble the classified ads that were placed by nineteenth-century enslavers. Like the originals, they contain information that could assist in identifying a fugitive from slavery, including physical characteristics, personality traits, and clothing. Here, however, Ligon himself is the subject of the ads and the descriptions are provided by his friends. As with much of his work, he creates a paradox between the impersonal advertisements for lost "property" and the autobiographical information given.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Runaways
  • Artist: Glenn Ligon (American, born New York, New York, 1960)
  • Publisher: Max Protetch (American, born 1946)
  • Date: 1993
  • Medium: Portfolio of ten lithographs
  • Edition: 41/45
  • Dimensions: Each sheet: 16 × 12 in. (40.6 × 30.5 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Peter Norton Family Foundation, 1998
  • Object Number: 1998.456.1a-k
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Glenn Ligon
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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