Death
Date1985
MediumOffset lithograph
DimensionsImage: 29 15/16 × 21 3/4 inches (76 × 55.2 cm)
Sheet: 29 15/16 × 21 3/4 inches (76 × 55.2 cm)
Matted: 40 × 32 inches (101.6 × 81.3 cm)
MarkingsStamp on the front bottom left.
Credit LineMuseum purchase in honor of Courtney McNeil with Telfair Museum of Art acquisitions endowment funds.
Object number2021.7.13
Copyright© 2023 Estate of Benny Andrews / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY, Courtesy MIchael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextBorn in Plainview, Georgia, approximately 60 miles southeast of Atlanta, Benny Andrews sought opportunities for art education amid a childhood working as a sharecropper. After additional instruction at the Art Institute of Chicago–his introduction to art museums–Andrews immersed himself in the New York City art scene and cofounded the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition (B.E.C.C.), which led protests calling for greater recognition of Black artists at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Their goal was to promote inclusion and representation of Black artists, art professionals, and works by artists of color in cultural institutions.
His own paintings and collages focused on humanity and narrative, often drawing from his experiences in the South. Frequently, he called upon spiritual symbolism as well, evoked in the work here through a crucified figure atop a hill.
Text written for 'Contemporary Spotlight: New Acquisitions from the Brandywine Workshop' on view February 4 - May 1, 2022.
