Broken Pieces

Lorna Simpson (American, b. 1960). Parts, 1998. Photo screenprint on felt, edition 2/3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of the Peter Norton Family Foundation, 1998 (1998.456.6a-m)

«In my opinion, this artwork is dull compared to the other works in this gallery, and I don't think this piece would be popular among visitors. However, the lack of color gives these twelve felt panels—which depict fragments of a horse statue in a case—a mysterious aura. I wonder what the statue would have looked like in its entirety.»

Spies in the House of Art hints at postmodernist ideas, particularly surrealism and hyperrealism, so I get a sense of uncertainty when looking at this print. Doug Eklund, the curator of this exhibition, raised ideas about distortion in our discussion, and I think that concept is evident in this work. As I look closer, I feel like the parts of the statue are related but at the same time separate in their own time and space. I think that this same principle is reflected in the grid-like format of the print itself.

Read the text label that the artist includes with the photograph. How do you think the text relates to the work itself?

We welcome your response to this question below.