Photo of collection object Black Monolith II (For Ralph Ellison)
Whitten, Jack. Black Monolith II (For Ralph Ellison), 1994. Acrylic, molasses, copper, salt, coal, ash, chocolate, onion, herbs, rust, eggshell, razor blade on canvas, 58 x 52 in. (147.3 x 132.1 cm). William K. Jacobs, Jr. Fund, 2014.65. © Jack Whitten © artist or artist's estate.

Black Monolith II (For Ralph Ellison)

1994

Jack Whitten

American, 1939-2018

Contemporary Art

Black Monolith II is part of a series that pays tribute to influential Black figures in simplified forms inspired by stelae, or commemorative stone monuments, from ancient Crete. Jack Whitten created this version, dedicated to the novelist and literary critic Ralph Ellison, the year of the author’s death. The silhouette-like shadow draws parallels with Ellison’s best-known work, Invisible Man, which Whitten described as portraying “the exact dimensions of being Black in America.”
Maker/Artist
Whitten, Jack
Classification
Painting
Formatted Medium
Acrylic, molasses, copper, salt, coal, ash, chocolate, onion, herbs, rust, eggshell, razor blade on canvas
Dimensions
58 x 52 in. (147.3 x 132.1 cm)
Departments
Contemporary Art
Accession Number
2014.65
Credit Line
William K. Jacobs, Jr. Fund
Rights Statement
© artist or artist's estate
Dominant Colors

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