Untitled (Will), from the Untitled Portfolio

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Will), from the Untitled Portfolio, 1985, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1986.50F
Copied Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Will), from the Untitled Portfolio, 1985, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, sheet: 20 1220 12 in. (52.052.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1986.50F

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (Will), from the Untitled Portfolio
Publisher
Peter Blum Edition
Date
1985
Dimensions
sheet: 20 1220 12 in. (52.052.0 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums Description
photo-offset lithograph and screenprint on paper
Classifications
Keywords
  • Allegory — civic — rebellion
  • Allegory — quality — determination
  • Figure male — fragment — hand
  • Object — letter
Object Number
1986.50F

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?