abstract black-and-white mixed media drawing; horizontal lines throughout dense black; several diagonal lines at bottom; light vertical impression of line on L with outline of oval at UL

%C2%A9 Jack Whitten Estate %2F Hauser %26 Wirth

The Third Entity #1, 2016

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One of a pair of Jack Whitten drawings (see 2019.132.9) from his “The Third Entity” series, it was completed in 2016, only two years before his death. Drawn in black graphite and wax on Evolon, a soft microfilament fabric, the monochromatic compositions suggest rising dust storms or views of earth made from orbiting satellites. Various lines intersect the nebulous images, which have the effect of focusing attention on the textured, material surfaces of the drawings, a key component of Whitten’s experimental approach. In social science, the concept of the “third entity” is defined as an invisible force created between you and another person, that exists independently of you and another person. Relationship = Person A + Person B + Third Entity (the relationship between Person A & B). By this interpretation, Whitten’s drawings are visual and conceptual representations of this intangible force that exists between all people, one that is both mutable and capricious.

Details
Title
The Third Entity #1
Artist Life
1939–2018
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2019.132.8
Provenance
The artist, New York; [Hauser & Wirth, New York, sold to Mersky Feb. 1, 2017]; Robert B. Mersky, Minneapolis; given to MIA, 2019.
Curator Approved

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abstract black-and-white mixed media drawing; horizontal lines throughout dense black; several diagonal lines at bottom; light vertical impression of line on L with outline of oval at UL

© Jack Whitten Estate / Hauser & Wirth

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