By Any Means Necessary (after Malcolm X)

Tim Rollins, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., By Any Means Necessary (after Malcolm X), 2008, matte acrylic and book pages on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.18, © 2008, Tim Rollin and K.O.S.
Copied Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Tim Rollins, By Any Means Necessary (after Malcolm X), 2008, matte acrylic and book pages on canvas, 72 x 72 in. (182.9 x 182.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.18, © 2008, Tim Rollin and K.O.S.

Artwork Details

Title
By Any Means Necessary (after Malcolm X)
Artists
Tim Rollins and K.O.S.
Date
2008
Location
Dimensions
72 x 72 in. (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Copyright
© 2008, Tim Rollin and K.O.S.
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
matte acrylic and book pages on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • History — United States — Civil Rights Movement
  • Object — written matter — book
  • History — United States — Black History — Malcolm X
Object Number
2010.18
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2010.18

Artwork Description

Black diagonal lines intersect at multiple points to form the letter M and three X's. Pages from The Autobiography of Malcolm X cover the surface of the canvas like wallpaper.

Artist Tim Rollins formed K.O.S. (Kids of Survival) in the 1980s with a group of high school students in the South Bronx. Many of their collaborations are inspired by literary classics. Published in 1965, months after the human rights activist's assassination, The Autobiography of Malcolm X has sold millions of copies and influenced generations of readers.

This artwork's title comes from a refrain often found in Malcolm X's speeches:

We want freedom by any means necessary. 
We want justice by any means necessary. 
We want equality by any means necessary.