Photo of collection object The Jerome Project (My Loss)
Kaphar, Titus. The Jerome Project (My Loss), 2014. Oil, gold leaf, and tar on wood panel, a, in travel frame: 214 lb. (97.07kg) b, in travel frame: 234 lb. (106.14kg) a, in display/storage vitrine: 365 lb. (165.56kg) a: 76 1/2 × 59 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. (194.3 × 151.1 × 9.5 cm) Vitrine for a : 68 3/4 × 84 3/4 × 9 1/8 in. (174.6 × 215.3 × 23.2 cm) b: 76 1/2 × 59 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. (194.3 × 151.1 × 9.5 cm) Vitrine for b: 68 3/4 × 84 1/2 × 9 . William K. Jacobs, Jr. Fund, 2015.7a-b. © Titus Kaphar © artist or artist's estate.

The Jerome Project (My Loss)

2014

Titus Kaphar

American, born 1976

Contemporary Art

Titus Kaphar created this body of work based on dozens of mugshots of incarcerated men who share the first and last name of his father, Jerome. The resulting series of portraits reflects the disproportionate effect that mass incarceration has on Black people and memorializes the experiences of distance and separation commonly felt by families with loved ones in prison.

Each figure appears before a gold-leaf ground that recalls the Byzantine tradition of icon painting. The thick layers of tar encroach upon the subject, representing the harm and the long-term effects of life under the carceral state.
Maker/Artist
Kaphar, Titus
Classification
Painting
Formatted Medium
Oil, gold leaf, and tar on wood panel
Medium
oil, gold, leaf, tar, wood, panel
Dimensions
a, in travel frame: 214 lb. (97.07kg) b, in travel frame: 234 lb. (106.14kg) a, in display/storage vitrine: 365 lb. (165.56kg) a: 76 1/2 × 59 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. (194.3 × 151.1 × 9.5 cm) Vitrine for a : 68 3/4 × 84 3/4 × 9 1/8 in. (174.6 × 215.3 × 23.2 cm) b: 76 1/2 × 59 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. (194.3 × 151.1 × 9.5 cm) Vitrine for b: 68 3/4 × 84 1/2 × 9
Departments
Contemporary Art
Accession Number
2015.7a-b
Credit Line
William K. Jacobs, Jr. Fund
Rights Statement
© artist or artist's estate
Dominant Colors

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