Untitled (America)
Untitled (America)
Artist
Glenn Ligon
(born 1960)
Date2018
MediumNeon and paint
Dimensions24 in. × 145 1/2 in. × 1 1/2 in. (61 × 369.6 × 3.8 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2021.17
Accession number
2021.17
On View
On viewCollections
Label TextGlowing in red neon, “AMERICA” beckons the viewer, much like our country which has often served as a beacon of hope for many around the world. However, by coating the front of the tubes in black paint and inverting the word, Glenn Ligon acknowledges that the United States also embodies negative associations tied to dark histories and continuing acts of oppression. Sporadically flashing off and on, Ligon’s work visualizes his observation that for many, “America, for all its dark deeds, is still this shining light.”
