The Commons
Paul Ramírez Jonas
Contemporary Art
In this monumental work, Paul Ramírez Jonas adopts the language of imperial power traditionally expressed through equestrian statues but omits a human figure, thus shifting the focus from the commemoration of individual leaders to the power of the collective. The artist designed the sculpture out of cork to be adorned by visitors and accumulate messages and keepsakes over time.
The European tradition of equestrian statuary dates to the ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. This legacy of cementing power continues today in the selection of historical monuments decided upon by an elite few rather than by the communities who live with these images everyday. In light of ongoing debates around monuments, amplified most recently by the Black Lives Matter movement, Ramírez Jonas’s sculpture usurps this history to present a communal alternative function for this hallowed motif.
The European tradition of equestrian statuary dates to the ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. This legacy of cementing power continues today in the selection of historical monuments decided upon by an elite few rather than by the communities who live with these images everyday. In light of ongoing debates around monuments, amplified most recently by the Black Lives Matter movement, Ramírez Jonas’s sculpture usurps this history to present a communal alternative function for this hallowed motif.
MEDIUM
Cork, pushpins, paper, wood, metal armature
DATES
2011
DIMENSIONS
153 × 124 × 64 in. (388.6 × 315 × 162.6 cm)
horse head: 48 × 50 × 21 in. (121.9 × 127 × 53.3 cm)
body of horse: 85 × 94 × 40 in. (215.9 × 238.8 × 101.6 cm)
main base: 39 × 100 × 39 in. (99.1 × 254 × 99.1 cm)
base cornice: 4 × 100 × 39 in. (10.2 × 254 × 99.1 cm)
storage (2022 storage volume for horse with head on pallet): 102 × 104 × 40 in. (25 (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Contemporary Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
2020.21
CREDIT LINE
Gift of The John & Melissa Ceriale Family Foundation and Leo Koenig
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Large cork sculpture of a horse modeled after the horse on which Marcus Aurelius is mounted in the statue of the emperor in Rome, Italy. Horse stands atop a tiered base of cork to which the public can attach notes with push-pins.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Paul Ramírez Jonas (American, born 1965). The Commons, 2011. Cork, pushpins, paper, wood, metal armature, 153 × 124 × 64 in. (388.6 × 315 × 162.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of The John & Melissa Ceriale Family Foundation and Leo Koenig, 2020.21. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2020.21_PS11.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 2020.21_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2021
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
© Paul Ramirez Jonas
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