Glenn Ligon

Untitled (How It Feels to Be Colored Me)

1991

Oilstick on paper

Not on view

Look at the words in this artwork. How far down can you read before it’s too hard to make them out? The artist, Ligon, did this on purpose. He made the words by using a black stick of paint and a stencil. He explained, “When I first started using oil paint and letter stencils, I realized that there was no way to make clean, perfect letters, and, in fact, their messiness was the most interesting thing.”

Kids label from

2023

Medium Oilstick on paper
Dimensions 31 3/4 x 16" (80.6 x 41 cm)
Credit Gift of The Bohen Foundation
Object number 216.1992
Department Drawings and Prints

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