Max Protetch Gallery, New York
Private Collection, United States
Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light wear and handling along the edges. There are a few minor and unobtrusive surface accretions which fluoresce brightly under ultraviolet light inspection. Additionally, there is a small area of pinpoint brown surface accretions located 1 inch from the top edge and 8 inches from the right edge. All other surface inconsistencies appear inherent to the artist working method. Under ultra violet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

From the outset of his career, Glenn Ligon has created a dialogue and social commentary on American culture by exploring contemporary ideas of sexuality, race and human rights. His oeuvre is very much a depiction of t♛he modern human experience. Nevertheless, it is not without historical reference, drawing inspiration and subject matter from American history and popular culture as☂ well as society and literature, while still contributing to the legacy of painting and more recent conceptual art.

Lig♔on is best known for his series of text-based paintings, begun in the early 1980s, which use as a source the writings and speeches of diverse figures such as Zora Neale Hurston, Jean Genet and Ralph Ellison. In his early text paintings Ligon is fascinated with the idea of identity and the self, giving control of the all powerful "I" to the narrator by specifica꧅lly choosing quotes that always include the word "I."

In this painting Ligon quotes the father of free verse Walt Whitman, one of the most influential poets in the American canon. Whitman # 2, stems from the poet's collection of poems Leaves of Grass first published in 1855. Critic Rufus Wilmot Griswold wrote in the November 10, 1855, issue of The Criterion, that the Leaves of Grass is "a mass of stupid filth" and categorized Whitman as a "filthy free lover," (Jerome Loving, Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself, 1999). Somehow, Ligon assumes the role of๊ the free thinking and socially marginalized figure exploring the idea of what it means to be🎃 a minority in modern day America.

The most interesting aspect of Ligon's work is that most of his chosen quotes transcend time and identity. While written in 1855, Whitman's poem remains incredibly relevant today regardless of who assumes the role of narrator. "What does it mean to take on another person's words as a way of talking about the self? One of the things I've always been interested in was the connection or collision of identities," (Glenn Ligon, Interview by David Drogin).