Washington, D. C.: »The Double: Identity and Difference in Art Since 1900«

The Art of the Double at the National Gallery of Art

Works of art that deal with doubling hold a special appeal. They challenge viewers to think in terms of comparison. Beginning July 10, some 120 exhibits will be on view in the National Gallery of Art's exhibition The Double: Identity and Difference in Art Since 1900 in Washington, D. C. Many well-known artists are represented there.

July 10, 2022
Samuel Fosso, Self-Portrait, 15 November, 1976
Cat. No. 81 / Object ID: 5360-110. greengrassi, London Photo © Marcus J. Leith
Samuel Fosso, Self-Portrait, 15 November, 1976, vintage print framed: 31.3 x 24.5 x 1.5 cm (12 5/16 x 9 5/8 x 9/16 in.) mat: 30.5 x 23.5 cm (12 x 9 1/4 in.) image: 7.7 x 9 cm (3 1/16 x 3 9/16 in.)

When two similar objects or motifs are juxtaposed, one involuntarily compares. There are many works of art that are designed to challenge comparison. The exhibition The Double: Identity and Difference in Art Since 1900 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C. is the first to comprehensively explore this phenomenon. Some 120 works from the past 100 years will be on view there from July 10 to October 31. They explore issues of identity, race, sexuality, the relationship between original and copy, and the relationship of artists to their work.

The exhibits are divided into four major sections: Seeing double, Reversal, Dilemma structures, and The Doubled and Divided Self. Among the artists on view are the likes of Diane Arbus, Alighiero Boetti, Mel Bochner, Marcel Duchamp, Gilbert and George, Félix González-Torres, Arshile Gorky, Roni Horn, Rashid Johnson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Sherrie Levine.Art.Salon

Rashid Johnson, The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Emmett), 2008
Cat. No. 59 / Object ID: 5360-170. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth © Rashid Johnson, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Rashid Johnson, The New Negro Escapist Social and Athletic Club (Emmett), 2008 Lambda print framed: 123.2 x 185.4 cm (48 1/2 x 73 in.) image: 111.8 x 177.8 cm (44 x 70 in.)

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