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Iago's Mirror

Fred Wilson

Contemporary Art

Mirrors have always held an element of mystery, both reflecting and distorting the image. Iago’s Mirror is an example of Fred Wilson’s interest in investigating the racial implications of color and the African Diaspora in a global context.

Working in the tradition of the glassmakers of Venice, where there was a significant black African presence beginning in the Renaissance, the artist has reversed the tradition by painting the glass black instead of silvering it. The title refers to the duplicitous character who ensnares Shakespeare’s Othello, perhaps the most famous black figure in English literature.
MEDIUM Murano glass
DATES 2009
DIMENSIONS 80 x 48 3/4 x 10 1/2 in., 137 lb. (203.2 x 123.8 x 26.7 cm, 62.1kg)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 2011.11
CREDIT LINE Purchased with funds given by John and Barbara Vogelstein, purchase gift of Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia, Arline and Norman Feinberg, Beverly and Steven A. Newborn, Sheila and Richard J. Schwartz, Leslie L. and Alan Beller, Barbara and Richard W. Moore, and Carla Shen
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Fred Wilson (American, born 1954). Iago's Mirror, 2009. Murano glass, 80 x 48 3/4 x 10 1/2 in., 137 lb. (203.2 x 123.8 x 26.7 cm, 62.1kg). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by John and Barbara Vogelstein, purchase gift of Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia, Arline and Norman Feinberg, Beverly and Steven A. Newborn, Sheila and Richard J. Schwartz, Leslie L. and Alan Beller, Barbara and Richard W. Moore, and Carla Shen , 2011.11. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photography by Kerry Ryan McFate, courtesy The Pace Gallery, CUR.2011.11_front_Pace_photograph_49885_01_WILSON_v1.jpg)
EDITION Edition: 5/6, 2 Aps, 1 bon à tirer
IMAGE front, CUR.2011.11_front_Pace_photograph_49885_01_WILSON_v1.jpg. Photography by Kerry Ryan McFate, courtesy The Pace Gallery
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RIGHTS STATEMENT © 2010 Fred Wilson, courtesy Pace Gallery
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