The Ghost of Liberty

Enrique Chagoya, The Ghost of Liberty, 2004, color lithograph with chine collé on amate paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Susanne Joyner, 2012.51.3, © 2004, Enrique Chagoya
Copied Enrique Chagoya, The Ghost of Liberty, 2004, color lithograph with chine collé on amate paper, sheet and image: 11 1⁄2 × 85 in. (29.2 × 215.9 cm) closed: 11 1⁄2 × 7 3⁄4 in. (29.2 × 19.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Susanne Joyner, 2012.51.3, © 2004, Enrique Chagoya

Artwork Details

Title
The Ghost of Liberty
Artist
Date
2004
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 11 1⁄2 × 85 in. (29.2 × 215.9 cm) closed: 11 1⁄2 × 7 3⁄4 in. (29.2 × 19.7 cm)
Copyright
© 2004, Enrique Chagoya
Credit Line
Gift of Susanne Joyner
Mediums Description
color lithograph with chine collé on amate paper
Classifications
Object Number
2012.51.3
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2012.51.3

Artwork Description

Over twenty-five years ago, Chagoya adopted the format of the Mesoamerican codex as a vehicle to explore contemporary history. He made this print in the years following 9/11, when Americans questioned President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq. Chagoya's codex, which reads from right to left and is made of amate paper like the historic forms that inspired it, mixes incongruous visual references from the Lone Ranger and Tonto to plumed serpents, dinosaurs, Arabic and Chinese text, flying saucers, and much more. His narrative is open to interpretation, but his title suggesting the eclipse of liberty and his appropriation of Hollywood racial stereotypes offers enough fodder to spark debate.


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