Untitled (We Will No Longer Be Seen and Not Heard)

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (We Will No Longer Be Seen and Not Heard), 1985, 9 prints, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, VR.1986.50A-I

Artwork Details

Title: Untitled (We Will No Longer Be Seen and Not Heard)
Artist: Barbara Kruger
Publisher: Peter Blum Edition
Date: 1985
Location: Not on view
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Mediums Description: 9 prints, photo-offset lithograph and screenprint
Classifications: Graphic Arts
Print
Object Number: VR.1986.50A-I
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/VR.1986.50A-I

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?