Visiting The Met? The Temple of Dendur will be closed Sunday, April 27 through Friday, May 9. The Met Fifth Avenue will be closed Monday, May 5.

Learn more
ticketsMember | Make a donation
The Artist Project

The Artist Project: Glenn Ligon

Artist Glenn Ligon reflects on The Great Bieri in this episode of The Artist Project.
3 min. watch
From March 2015 to June 2016, we invited 120 artists—local, national, and global—to choose individual works of art or galleries that sparked their imaginations. In this online series, artists reflect on what art is, what inspires them from across 5,000 years of art, and in so doing, they reveal the power of a museum and The Met.

"I love the idea that something so abstract can be so specific."

Artist Glenn Ligon reflects on "The Great Bieri" in this episode of The Artist Project—an online series in which artists respond to works of art in The Met collection.

About the Artist
Glenn Ligon, born in 1960, is an American conceptual artist who works in a variety of mediums, including painting, installation, neon, and video.

One of four etchings by Glenn Ligon titled

Glenn Ligon (American, born New York, 1960)

Untitled: Four Etchings, 1992

Portfolio of 4 etchings; 25 × 17 1/4 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of The Peter Norton Family Foundation, 1998 (1998.456.2a-d) © Glenn Ligon (Detail: one of four etchings in suite)

More from The Artist Project

View all

Hiroshi Sugimoto on "Bamboo in the Four Seasons"
Video
The Artist Project: Hiroshi Sugimoto
Photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto reflects on Bamboo in the Four Seasons, attributed to Tosa Mitsunobu, in this episode of The Artist Project.
June 22, 2015
Il Lee on Rembrandt van Rijn's portraits
Video
The Artist Project: Il Lee
Artist Il Lee reflects on Rembrandt van Rijn's portraits in this episode of The Artist Project.
June 22, 2015
Jeffrey Gibson on Vanuatu slit gongs
Video
Meet the Artist—Jeffrey Gibson
Artist Jeffrey Gibson reflects on Vanuatu slit gongs in this episode of The Artist Project.
June 22, 2015

Art Mentioned

A slider containing 1 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Sculptural Bust from a Reliquary Ensemble (The Great Bieri), Fang-Betsi artist, Wood, copper alloy, palm oil, Fang-Betsi
Sculptural Bust from a Reliquary Ensemble (The Great Bieri)
Fang-Betsi artist
19th century