Mark Bradford (American, born 1961). <em>Untitled</em>, 2003. Lithograph, 32 x 32 in. (81.3 x 81.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Frank L. Babbott, Jr., by exchange, 2004.18. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2004.18_PS9.jpg)

Mark Bradford (American, born 1961). Untitled, 2003. Lithograph, 32 x 32 in. (81.3 x 81.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Frank L. Babbott, Jr., by exchange, 2004.18. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2004.18_PS9.jpg)

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I find Mark Bradford's "Untitled" really interesting. The abstracted pattern reads as a crowd of people to me and I was really fascinated to learn that they are actually made of end-papers used in hairdressing. His elevation of everyday refuse is intended to bring to light the daily lives of black Americans, especially living in urban centers. The artist also grew up around hair salons, with family who worked in hairdressing.

Untitled

Mark Bradford

Contemporary Art

This early work by Mark Bradford uses layered end-papers—a tool for achieving a “perm,” familiar to Bradford, as a former hairdresser—thereby subtly referring to the cultural significance of the hair salon in African American communities. Here, the end-papers become the main component for an abstract pattern. The resulting composition vibrates with a formal rhythm, while the shapes are eerily reminiscent of nooses.

Bradford works primarily in abstract painting and mixed-media collage, incorporating everyday detritus such as fragments of newsprint, flyers, or materials from hair salons. Though largely abstract, his works nonetheless explore the ramifications of class, race, and gender. In recent work his forms seem to suggest maps or aerial views, in line with investigations of race riots, real-estate redlining, and gentrification.

ARTIST Mark Bradford, American, born 1961

MEDIUM Lithograph

DATES 2003

DIMENSIONS 32 x 32 in. (81.3 x 81.3 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 2004.18

CREDIT LINE Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Frank L. Babbott, Jr., by exchange

EXHIBITIONS

The Legacy of Lynching: Confronting Racial Terror in America

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Mark Bradford (American, born 1961). Untitled, 2003. Lithograph, 32 x 32 in. (81.3 x 81.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Frank L. Babbott, Jr., by exchange, 2004.18. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2004.18_PS9.jpg)

EDITION Edition: 45/45

IMAGE overall, 2004.18_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2017

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