Lot 56: RENEE COX

JAMAICA/UNITED STATES
Yo Mama's Last Supper
Signed in ink on a label accompanying the work.

Each 19 7/8 x 19 7/8 in. (50.5 x 50.5 cm).

Five color coupler prints, flush-mounted to aluminum.

1996

Aquired directly from the artist

Renee Cox’s appropriation of iconic works of art through self-insertion and redefinition draws attention to latent forms of gender and racial discrimination in art history. By relying on “Yo Mama”, one of two alter egos whom she employs in her imagery, Cox calls into question the absence of women and people of color from the classical art historical canon. In Yo Mama’s Last Supper, Cox reenacts Da Vinci’s Last Supper, boldly positioning herself—exposed, poised and proud—in the role of Jesus. While the work, which was first shown at the 1999 Venice Biennale and later at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, was interpreted by some as anti-Catholic, Cox has defended it, stating that the image, in fact, was reflective of the Catholic belief that all human beings were created in the likeness of God. As an artist and activist, Cox continuously produces work that aims to dispel stereotypes and challenge misconceptions.