Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

The Experiment

Elmgreen & Dragset Danish

Not on view

Here, a young boy, wearing just his white briefs, a pair of (his mother’s?) high-heeled shoes, and lipstick, probes prescriptions of gender. This piece embodies the artists’ interest in showing figures in transitional spaces, in double, and in states that complicate notions of gender and sexuality. This projection of identity combines ideas of control, experimentation, self-recognition, and performance. As viewers encounter the boy’s private moment, they might reflect on their relationships to these issues and their own voyeurism.

The Experiment, Elmgreen & Dragset, Polyester resin, glass fibre, acrylic paint, glass eyes, human hair, wood, lacquer, mirror, metal parts, leather

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Photo: Serge Hasenböhler