Object Details
- Series
- 3/60
- Label Text
- Since its solo founding in 1997 by South African artist Sue Williamson, ArtThrob has expanded in size and has served as an important online resource on contemporary visual arts, with a particular focus on exhibitions and publications that document the involvement of South African artists in the international art world. Listed multiple times as a finalist for South Africa’s Arts & Cultures Trust Awards, ArtThrob also secured a nomination by the United Nations as best cultural website (1999). The site itself was featured as an “art piece” in the 2000 exhibition “Woven Maze” organized for the University of Hanover by curator Pat Binder (ArtThrob website, http://www.artthrob.co.za). ArtThrob produces limited edition works on paper that are sold as individual works or art in an edition of 60 or are organized as special collector portfolios in an edition of 10.
- ArtThrob special edition portfolios present high-quality works on paper by some of South Africa’s most exciting artists--both well-established and emerging.
- Lisa Brice is among the best known of South Africa’s talents. Her paintings, mixed media and prints are technically superb and frequently experimental. Drawn from the theme of her acclaimed 2007 exhibition at the Goodman Gallery Cape, "Base One Two Three," this color lithograph is at once alluring--a scene of love--yet awkward and haunting, even suggesting the aftermath of sexual violence. In Brice’s characteristic direct style, it explores the awkwardness of adolescent love and desire and speaks to universal, yet deeply personal moments of sexual awakening and discomfort. The entangled young couple in the image appears to be in a state of collapse after their fumblings have concluded, and yet the direct gaze of the young girl, the awkward arrangement of her garments, and the cool-toned remove of her partner leave the viewer questioning how the girl really feels about what has just happened. The intimacy and insight rendered by Brice’s expressive lines and colors lend themselves to investigations of gender and sexuality and youth and coming of age, as well as the global dynamics of current artistic practice and production.
- Description
- Color lithograph depicting a young woman lying on her back and looking at the viewer, while another figure is collapsed along her side, apparently sleeping. A small black cloth hovers near her genitals. It was printed by Andrea Steer and Stephen Inggs at the Michaelis School of Fine Art.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Lisa Brice, born 1968, South Africa
- Date
- 2008
- Credit Line
- Purchased with funds provided by the Annie Laurie Aitken Endowment
- Medium
- Lithograph on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 50 x 66 cm (19 11/16 x 26 in.)
- Type
