Heart of Gold, Female #2

Copied Jon Eric Riis, Heart of Gold, Female #2, 2002, tapestry woven silk and metallic thread with custom mount, overall: 29 in. × 66 5⁄8 in. × 2 1⁄2 in. (73.7 × 169.2 × 6.4 cm) mount (hanging rod): 71 3⁄8 × 2 1⁄4 in. (181.3 × 5.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Jerome A. and Deena L. Kaplan Collection, 2021.49.1

Artwork Details

Title
Heart of Gold, Female #2
Artist
Date
2002
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
overall: 29 in. × 66 5⁄8 in. × 2 1⁄2 in. (73.7 × 169.2 × 6.4 cm) mount (hanging rod): 71 3⁄8 × 2 1⁄4 in. (181.3 × 5.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Jerome A. and Deena L. Kaplan Collection
Mediums
Mediums Description
tapestry woven silk and metallic thread with custom mount
Classifications
Subjects
  • Emblem — heart
Object Number
2021.49.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2021.49.1

Artwork Description

What do we express to the world with our clothing—our second skin? And what do we conceal?


Clothes offer a protective barrier, and they also tell others more about our unique selves. Tapestry artist John Eric Riis depicts the exterior of a woman’s chest on a shimmering silk coat to imply her heart of gold. And yet, the interior reveals just the vulnerable viscera, bones, and muscles of a human body.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022