Don't Talk Down to Me
Print
1977-1982 (printed), 1982 (published)
1977-1982 (printed), 1982 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Jenny Holzer grew up in the American Midwest, and her work has been influenced by the snappy statements she heard around her daily. She also recalls that as a child she made drawings on great lengths of paper in which she tried to include everything because 'I guess I had a hard time making choices . . . so I'd figure perhaps I could get it perfect if I put everything in. The total thing would be complete even if the individual parts weren't.' Her work first appeared in public in 1977 when she bill-posted texts consisting of lists of frequently disturbing but often witty aphorisms (short, pithy statements) around Times Square in New York. Since then, similar texts have appeared in various forms, such as electronically, between public information announcements in airport lounges and banks, as well as in poster form. The portfolio from which this piece comes is a printed edition of some of her earlier bill-posted work.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Offset lithograph on paper |
| Brief description | Print by Jenny Holzer from the 'Truisms and Essays' portfolio of 12 offset lithographs. USA, 1977-1982. |
| Physical description | Square sheet of pink paper, printing in black. Twenty lines of text printed in capital letters, set centrally to page but not justified. commencing: Don't Talk Down To Me... and finishing ....Do You Want To Fall Not/ Ever Knowing Who Took You? |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Production | The set was unsigned and unnumbered and published in an edition of 1,000. One of four plates from the suite 'Inflammatory Essays', published together with the suite of six entitled 'Truisms' as 'Truisms and Essays'. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Jenny Holzer grew up in the American Midwest, and her work has been influenced by the snappy statements she heard around her daily. She also recalls that as a child she made drawings on great lengths of paper in which she tried to include everything because 'I guess I had a hard time making choices . . . so I'd figure perhaps I could get it perfect if I put everything in. The total thing would be complete even if the individual parts weren't.' Her work first appeared in public in 1977 when she bill-posted texts consisting of lists of frequently disturbing but often witty aphorisms (short, pithy statements) around Times Square in New York. Since then, similar texts have appeared in various forms, such as electronically, between public information announcements in airport lounges and banks, as well as in poster form. The portfolio from which this piece comes is a printed edition of some of her earlier bill-posted work. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1022-1989 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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