Red Turtle
Date1991
Artist
Jimmie Durham
(American sculptor, performance artist, and video artist, 1940–2021)
MediumTurtle shell, paint, wood, and paper
Dimensions59 3/4 x 47 1/2 in. (151.8 x 120.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Abel, Jr., 2009
Object number2009-78
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSCULPTURE
Label TextJimmie Durham’s early political activism with the American Indian Movement informed his artistic practice and the materials and concepts explored in his sculpture. Here, the artist counters the colonizer’s appeals with signs traditionally associated with Native American culture—the snake and turtle shell.