Andre Doyon

Artist Jesse Burke American, born 1972

Date2010

MediumArchival inkjet print

Dimensions14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
Frame: 15 x 12 in. (38.1 x 30.5 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineGift of Allen G. Thomas Jr. in honor of Linda Johnson Dougherty

Object number2014.14.11

On View

Not on view

Label TextWith visible kindness and compassion, this image—one of a series—speaks to the strength and resilience of an unhoused man on the margins of society. Against a stark black background, the bare torso of the man glows. He is positioned in a manner reminiscent of Renaissance religious imagery of Christ. Burke provides viewers with a different image of masculinity than what is dominant in contemporary visual culture.

“My intentions,” Burke says, “are to take people that one ignores or passes in the street and place them on a pedestal to emphasize their individual beauty … In these images hardened souls become vulnerable icons, allowing the world to see a different side of being low.”ProvenanceCreated United States, 2010; collection of the artist, Rhode Island; sold to Allen G. Thomas Jr., Wilson, NC, 2010; given to NCMA, 2014. Published ReferencesJesse Burke, Low (Rhode Island: Blurb, 2009), illus. (color).Exhibition HistoryBoone, NC, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, “Men Working: The Contemporary Collection of Allen Thomas, Jr.,” July 5, 2013–February 8, 2014.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Private Eye: Allen G. Thomas Jr. Photography Collection," September 13, 2014–March 22, 2015.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection Reimagined," November 30, 2023-May 29, 2024. Object Rights Statement

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