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Kerry James Marshall (1955 - ). Heirlooms and Accessories, 2002. Ink-jet prints on paper in wooden artist’s
frames. 57 x 54 ¼ x 3 in.
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Kerry James Marshall’s "Heirlooms and Accessories" is quite possibly one
the most important pieces of art I have seen in a very long time. Finished in
2002, it is based on the famous photo of a white crowd watching the lynching of two
black men in Marion, Indiana in 1930.
Marshall uses the technique of “ghosting” to lighten the
photograph, but for the faces of three women who turned toward the camera as
the photographer was taking the picture.
Around the faces of the three women, he added images of ornate necklaces
with sparkling rhinestones, highlighting these “accessories” to the heinous crime.
The passive acceptance of this violence on the faces of the
three women serve as an “heirloom” of sorts, passed down through generations
much like a necklace would be.
The triptych is in the permanent collection of the Studio Museum of Harlem.
Kerry James Marshall spoke about his concept for “Heirlooms
and Accessories to the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art:
Kerry James Marshall: Heirlooms and Accessories from Smart Museum of Art on Vimeo.
Ahhhh, this hits home. Especially the part about them being "accessories" to the crime. White women have been accessory to the a lot of heinous acts performed against blacks by their men. But they've also bee co-conspirators as the confession from Carolyn Bryant Donham about the Emmett Till murder has shown us. Or even more recently their voting practices in this last election.
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