White Wall
Date1964-1965
Artist
George Tooker
(American painter, 1920–2011)
MediumEgg tempera on gesso panel
Dimensions23 3/4 × 17 3/4 in. (60.3 × 45.1 cm)
frame: 29 1/4 × 23 1/2 in. (74.3 × 59.7 cm)
frame: 29 1/4 × 23 1/2 in. (74.3 × 59.7 cm)
Credit LineF. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund, 1991
Object number1991-118
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextWhite Wall was painted during the Civil Rights Movement, as a commentary on the effects of racism. It is a portrait of the artist’s former college friend. When this friend arrived for a visit, Tooker realized that he had become terribly racist. According to Tooker, “He was so afraid of blacks and so upset by them that he was hiding behind a white wall.” The white wall behind which the figure cowers appears to close in on him, entrapping him and cutting him off from the world.
