Photo of collection object Black Block
Anatsui, El. Black Block, 2010. Aluminum and copper wire, two pieces, each: 207 x 133 1/2 in., 67 lb. (525.8 x 339.1 cm, 30.39kg). Bequest of William K. Jacobs, Jr., by exchange, 2013.7a-b. © El Anatsui © artist or artist's estate.

Black Block

2010

El Anatsui

Ghanaian, born 1944

Contemporary Art

Close inspection of El Anatsui’s glistening and cascading work reveals an elaborate surface constructed from liquor bottle tops joined together by copper wire. Anatsui incorporates these discarded aluminum caps, sourced from a liquor distillery in Nigeria, into the global history of abstraction. The monumental and unfixed form references both individual and collective bodies—from the lips that might grace the alcohol bottle to the hands of now-hundreds of studio assistants who work together to manipulate and weave the metal caps.
Maker/Artist
Anatsui, El
Classification
Sculpture
Formatted Medium
Aluminum and copper wire
Dimensions
two pieces, each: 207 x 133 1/2 in., 67 lb. (525.8 x 339.1 cm, 30.39kg)
Departments
Contemporary Art
Accession Number
2013.7a-b
Credit Line
Bequest of William K. Jacobs, Jr., by exchange
Rights Statement
© artist or artist's estate
Dominant Colors

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