Larry Levan (snake)

Elia Alba, Larry Levan (snake), 2006, printed 2010, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by William W. W. Parker, 2013.45.1, © 2006, Elia Alba
Elia Alba, Larry Levan (snake), 2006, printed 2010, gelatin silver print, image: 19 1⁄2 x 19 1⁄2 in. (49.5 x 49.5 cm) sheet: 20 1⁄2 x 20 in. (52.0 x 50.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by William W. W. Parker, 2013.45.1, © 2006, Elia Alba

Artwork Details

Title
Larry Levan (snake)
Artist
Date
2006, printed 2010
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 19 1⁄2 x 19 1⁄2 in. (49.5 x 49.5 cm) sheet: 20 1⁄2 x 20 in. (52.0 x 50.8 cm)
Copyright
© 2006, Elia Alba
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by William W. W. Parker
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Recreation — dancing
  • Dress — costume — mask
  • Portrait male — Levan, Larry
  • Performing arts — other — DJ
Object Number
2013.45.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2013.45.1

Artwork Description

Alba’s photographs challenge the straightforward link between how a person looks and who they are. Here several partygoers wear masks depicting the face of Larry Levan (1954-1992), the legendary DJ of the Paradise Garage in New York City. Levan was a key figure of disco music originally nurtured in gay, black, and Latino communities. By combining the mask of a man and the body of a female, or placing a brown-skinned mask on a white body, Alba contests narrow definitions of race, gender, and sexuality.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013
Description in Spanish

Las fotografías de Alba desafían el vínculo directo entre la apariencia y la identidad personal. Aquí varios enmascarados portan la cara de Larry Levan (1954 – 1992), el legendario DJ del Paradise Garage de Nueva York. Levan era una figura clave de la música disco, género musical cultivado originalmente entre las comunidades gay, negra y latina. Al combinar la m piel morena en un cuerpo blanco, Alba cuestiona las definiciones estrechas de raza, género y sexualidad.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Works by this artist (82 items)

View all artworks
Joseph E. Renier, Awakening, 1920s, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1968.11
Awakening
Artist
Date1920s
bronze
On view
Joseph E. Renier, Dancer, ca. 1922, bronze/cast, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1967.93.4
Dancer
Artist
Dateca. 1922
bronze/cast
On view
Joseph E. Renier, Bather, n.d., marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1967.93.80
Bather
Artist
Daten.d.
marble
On view
Joseph E. Renier, Daniel C. Gainey Medal, 1957, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Renier, 1967.93.56
Daniel C. Gainey Medal
Artist
Date1957
bronze
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013–March 2, 2014
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.

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Untitled (Child’s quilt)
Artist
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Dateca. 1930
cotton and wool
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Richard Timothy Evans, Miss Havisham (Scrap Doll), ca. 1975, muslin and lace, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.138
Miss Havisham (Scrap Doll)
Artist
Dateca. 1975
muslin and lace
Not on view
Image Not Available
Basket
Artist
Daten.d.
fiber
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Red Bird Mission, Creekwillow Basket, 1996, willow, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Martha G. Ware and Steven R. Cole, 2011.47.54
Creekwillow Basket
Artist
Date1996
willow
Not on view