Inheritance

June 28, 2023–Feb 4, 2024

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Rivers, First Draft

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These photographs document Lorraine O’Grady’s site-specific performance Rivers, First Draft, which took place in Central Park on August 18, 1982, as part of “Art Across the Park”—an exhibition series originally conceived by the artist David Hammons. Described as a “collage-in-space,” with multiple actions unfolding simultaneously across different locations, this highly personal work examines the artist’s family history, her experience growing up in New England as the child of Caribbean immigrants, and her development as an artist. O’Grady explores different aspects of her identity through three distinct characters, each assigned an age and a color: the Little Girl in a Pink Sash, the Teenager in Magenta, and the Woman in Red.

  • A gallery wall featuring a series of framed photographs with various scenes, some including people in outdoor settings, displayed in a symmetrical arrangement against a white wall above a light wooden floor.
    A gallery wall featuring a series of framed photographs with various scenes, some including people in outdoor settings, displayed in a symmetrical arrangement against a white wall above a light wooden floor.

    Lorraine O'Grady, Rivers, First Draft, 1982, printed 2015. 11 chromogenic prints, sheet: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm) Image: 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Photography Committee 2019.298.4a-k. © Lorraine O'Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

  • A teenager in magenta sits on a rock in the forest with headphones.
    A teenager in magenta sits on a rock in the forest with headphones.

    Lorraine O’Grady, Rivers, First Draft: The Teenager in Magenta sits alone with her headphones, 1982, printed 2015. Chromogenic print: sheet, 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm); image, 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm). Edition 3/8. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Photography Committee 2019.298.3i. © 2023 Lorraine O’Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy Alexander Gray Associates, New York

  • A woman in red bends down to spray paint a white object in the forest.
    A woman in red bends down to spray paint a white object in the forest.

    Lorraine O’Grady, Rivers, First Draft: The Woman in Red starts painting the stove her own color, 1982, printed 2015. Chromogenic print: sheet, 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm); image, 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm). Edition 3/8. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Photography Committee 2019.298.4j. © 2023 Lorraine O’Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy Alexander Gray Associates, New York

  • A girl in white holds a microphone sitting on a rock in the forest.
    A girl in white holds a microphone sitting on a rock in the forest.

    Lorraine O’Grady, Rivers, First Draft: A Little Girl with Pink Sash memorizes her Latin lesson, 1982, printed 2015. Chromogenic print: sheet, 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm); image, 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm). Edition 3/8. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Photography Committee 2019.298.1f. © 2023 Lorraine O’Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy Alexander Gray Associates, New York

  • People in bright tunics move together in a forest.
    People in bright tunics move together in a forest.

    Lorraine O’Grady, Rivers, First Draft: The Debauchees dance down the hill, the Woman in Red falls further behind, 1982, printed 2015. Chromogenic print: sheet, 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm); image, 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm). Edition 3/8. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Photography Committee 2019.298.3b. © 2023 Lorraine O’Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy Alexander Gray Associates, New York

  • People in bright colors move together in a forest.
    People in bright colors move together in a forest.

    Lorraine O’Grady, Rivers, First Draft: The Artists in Yellow work on their projects as the Woman in Red struggles with the Debauchees, 1982, printed 2015. Chromogenic print: sheet, 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm); image, 15 3/4 × 19 3/4 in. (40 × 50.2 cm). Edition 3/8. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Photography Committee 2019.298.4g. © 2023 Lorraine O’Grady / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy Alexander Gray Associates, New York

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