White Anger, Red Danger, Yellow Peril, Black Death
Bruce Nauman
American, born 1941
1984
A suspended sculpture of rusted steel beams threaded through brightly painted chairs (steel, aluminum, paint, and wire) in which the artist pairs everyday objects with a set of racially charged phrases to unsettle and confront the viewer.
What hits you first is the improbable balance—two long, raw I‑beams hovering at eye level while yellow, red, black, and white chairs dangle and impale one another, their vivid colors shocking against the industrial metal as if a frozen act of collision.
By merging Minimalist industrial materials and domestic furniture with inflammatory language, Nauman extended conceptual sculpture into a space that makes social tensions, the force of words, and theatrical presence visible and uncomfortable.
Medium
Steel beams, aluminum, paint, and wire
Dimensions
62 3/4" x 17' 11 1/8" x 16' (159.4 x 546.4 x 487.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Werner and Elaine Dannheisser
Accession
111.1990.a-f
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
