Hank Willis Thomas - Photographs New York Thursday, October 7, 2021 | Phillips

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  • "All my work is about framing and perspective, history and context. How do I shine a light on history in a different way, making the moments feel current and allowing a new relationship to them? And then I was looking at this material called retroflective—even the name implies looking back." —Hank Willis Thomas

    In his retroreflective works, Hank Willis Thomas employs an unconventional medium to force an active engagement with the viewer. Thomas appropriated archival photographs of the struggle for civil rights and printed them on a specialized reflective material designed for road signs. The resulting images are light-activated, and are only fully visible through flash photography or special illumination. Like the subjects documented, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry is its own call to action, entreating the viewer to uncover and discover by presenting a latent image that transforms upon direct interaction with light.

    • Provenance

      Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

228

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry

2018
Unique screenprint on retroreflective vinyl, mounted.
20 3/8 x 29 1/4 in. (51.8 x 74.3 cm)
Overall 22 x 30 3/4 in. (55.9 x 78.1 cm)

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$20,000 - 30,000 

Sold for $27,720

Contact Specialist

Sarah Krueger
Head of Department
+1 212 940 1225
skrueger@phillips.com

 

Vanessa Hallett
Deputy Chairwoman, Americas and Worldwide Head of Photographs
+1 212 940 1243
vhallett@phillips.com

Photographs

New York Auction 7 October 2021