Artist
Alfredo Jaar
born Santiago, Chile 1956
- Born
- Santiago, Chile
- Active in
- New York, New York, United States
Videos
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When Chilean-born artist Alfredo Jaar moved to New York in 1982, he was troubled to discover that racial tensions still ran high long after the civil rights movement had passed its zenith. In Life Magazine, April 19, 1968, he manipulated the iconic photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral procession to highlight the disparity between the number of black and white mourners. Jaar's decision to present the work as a triptych, a traditional format for Christian altarpieces, helps identify King as a martyr.
Exhibitions
June 27, 2013–January 5, 2014
A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum celebrates the numerous ways in which photography, from early daguerreotypes to contemporary digital works, has captured the American experience.
Related Posts
Education01/14/2022
While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was a pivotal moment in U.S. history, there’s more to his life and legacy than that single story. Smithsonian educators share approaches to expand classroom lessons and student understanding of this great civil rights leader.
