Artist:
Dawoud Bey
(American, b. 1953)
Night Coming Tenderly, Black: Untitled #24 (At Lake Erie)
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Date: 2017
Dimensions:
44 × 55 in. (111.8 × 139.7 cm) (unframed)
Accession number: 2022.3
Copyright: © Dawoud Bey, courtesy of Rena Bransten Gallery
Curatorial RemarksThis work was purchased to be included in the exhibition Night Coming Tenderly, Black (2022) which assembled multiple works from the photography series of the same name. The series is a meditation by the artist on slavery and those who escaped in search of freedom. This photograph is the second to last of twenty-five images in the series. It depicts a steep hill overlooking Lake Erie, with the lake faintly visible along the horizon line. This site—the precipice from which people went down to reach Lake Erie—was picked by the artist for its historical importance: if runaway slaves traveling along the Underground Railroad made it to this point, “conductors” would take them down to the lake and then across by boat to Canada, where they would be free. Dawoud Bey said that this is the one spot where he felt a real spiritual connection to the spot and the past. Stephen Daiter of Stephen Daiter Gallery, who has handled Bey’s work, expressed his belief that # 24 (At Lake Erie) is the most compelling of the series. Each image in the series of 25 was printed in an edition of 6 with 2 Artists Proofs. At the time of purchase, #24 had sold out except for the two Artist Proofs. Ours is one of those Proofs. Bey is considered one of the most important artists working today. A number of other museums have acquired works from the series.