Runaways

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

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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