Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Two Oranges

Zoe Leonard American

Not on view

At once poignant and incisive, Two Oranges consists of the skins of two pieces of fruit that Leonard "repaired" with thread. The artist made no effort to arrest the decay of the fruit—it is and always will be frail, scarred, and perishable. Its "very essence," Leonard once said of a related work, "is to decompose." Created at the height of the AIDS crisis, Two Oranges was intended as a critique of prejudice and indifference, as was a related work, Strange Fruit (for David ) (1992–97; Philadelphia Museum of Art). It also serves as an unconventional memorial to Leonard’s friend, the artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1992.

Two Oranges, Zoe Leonard (American, born New York, 1961), Fruit, thread, buttons, zippers, needles, wax, sinew, string, wax

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Two Oranges, Zoe Leonard (American, born New York, 1961), Fruit, thread, buttons, zippers, needles, wax, sinew, string, wax
Two Oranges, Zoe Leonard (American, born New York, 1961), Fruit, thread, buttons, zippers, needles, wax, sinew, string, wax

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.