“The visual arts can serve as an important catalyst for the discussion of race, a rare instance where contemporary art can have broad social relevance. This is true because much of what defines race in culture is innately visual. Ideas and observations about race are, more often than not, communicated through visual cues, symbols, and stereotypes.” — Maurice Berger (source)
Wendy Edwald, Q from “American Alphabets”, 1997-2005 — Edwald’s “White Girl’s Alphabet” was featured in Berger’s groundbreaking exhibition White: Whiteness and Race in Contemporary Art noted as “the first exhibition of art that explores race and racism from the perspective of white people.”
Robert Gober, Hanging Man/Sleeping Man, 1989 — Gober’s work is highlighted in Berger’s most famous essay “Are Art Museums Racist?,” which was published in Art in America in 1990. “Not until white people who now hold power in the art world scrutinize their own motives and attitudes toward people of color will it be possible to unlearn racism,” Berger wrote. You can download a free PDF of the essay here.
Dr. Deborah Willis, Carrie in EuroSalon, Eatonville, Fla., 2004 — “Maurice’s work was groundbreaking. He questioned and challenged our collective past, and he lived an extraordinary and focused life sharing his love of stories and images that ranged from tragedy to joy.” — Dr. Deborah Willis for Maurice Berger’s obituary in The New York Times.
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