Untitled (Seen), from the Untitled Portfolio

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Seen), from the Untitled Portfolio, 1985, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1986.50C
Copied Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Seen), from the Untitled Portfolio, 1985, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, sheet: 20 1⁄2 x 20 1⁄2 in. (52.0 x 52.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1986.50C

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (Seen), from the Untitled Portfolio
Artist
Publisher
Peter Blum Edition
Date
1985
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 20 1⁄2 x 20 1⁄2 in. (52.0 x 52.0 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums Description
photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — letter
  • Figure male — fragment — hand
  • Allegory — senses — sight
  • Allegory — civic — rebellion
  • Figure male — fragment — face
Object Number
1986.50C
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.50C

Artwork Description

Barbara Kruger is known for pairing incisive text with found photographs, usually taken from old advertisements or magazine illustrations. In this piece, she recasts an English proverb-- "Children should be seen and not heard"--as a "we" statement of refusal and protest. The force of each word is underscored by an image of an expressive hand gesture.
 
Who do you think is the "we" in this statement?