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Drips and Drabs

Fred Wilson

Contemporary Art

Appearing to drip down the wall and pool into puddles on the gallery floor, Fred Wilson’s installation takes on a liquid appearance. The teardrop shapes produce a sorrowful effect yet also convey a seductive quality. Inspired by luxury Venetian glass, the artist views the jet-black material as both an allusion to ink, oil, and tar as well as a portal to reflect on Black identity. Wilson describes glassblowing as being “like the creation of a planet,” and within each fluid form, he imagines the multiple meanings and possibilities of Blackness.
MEDIUM Blown glass
DATES 2009
DIMENSIONS overall installation dimensions: 155 x 45 x 35 in. (393.7 x 114.3 x 88.9 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 2015.23a-j
CREDIT LINE Gift of the artist and The Pace Gallery in honor of Arnold Lehman
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION 6 wall units and 4 floor units
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Fred Wilson (American, born 1954). Drips and Drabs, 2009. Blown glass, overall installation dimensions: 155 x 45 x 35 in. (393.7 x 114.3 x 88.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the artist and The Pace Gallery in honor of Arnold Lehman, 2015.23a-j. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, DIG_E_2015_Diverse_Works_20_cropped_2015.23a-j_PS8.jpg)
IMAGE installation, DIG_E_2015_Diverse_Works_20_cropped_2015.23a-j_PS8.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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RIGHTS STATEMENT © Fred Wilson, courtesy Pace Gallery
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Fred Wilson (American, born 1954). <em>Drips and Drabs</em>, 2009. Blown glass, overall installation dimensions: 155 x 45 x 35 in. (393.7 x 114.3 x 88.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the artist and The Pace Gallery in honor of Arnold Lehman, 2015.23a-j. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, DIG_E_2015_Diverse_Works_20_cropped_2015.23a-j_PS8.jpg)