Object Details
- Created by
- David C. Driskell, American, 1931 - 2020
- Subject of
- Emmett Till, American, 1941 - 1955
- Caption
- If the men who killed Emmett Till had known his body would free a people, they would have let him live.
- —Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
- In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till traveled from Chicago to visit family in Money, Mississippi. He was murdered by two men who accused him of flirting with a white woman. His death shocked the nation and spurred the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.
- David Driskell was deeply affected by Till’s death and felt compelled to create a memorial to the young teenager. Conceived as a visual allegory, Driskell’s modern-day pietà alludes to similarities between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, Till’s murder and funeral, and the religious foundation and coming events of the struggle for African American rights.
- Description
- An oil painting in which the artist presents the bruised and battered body of Emmett Till as a Christ-like figure with his arms outstretched in the form of a crucifixion. The hands and arms of a figure behind him are visible holding the body.
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- 1956
- Object number
- 2009.7
- Restrictions & Rights
- © The Estate of David C. Driskell
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
- Type
- oil paintings
- Medium
- mixed media on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W (unframed): 46 × 36 in. (116.8 × 91.4 cm)
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Movement
- Civil Rights Movement
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Christianity
- Civil Rights
- Religion
- Record ID
- nmaahc_2009.7
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd52bcfba14-383d-460a-bfd9-60a0123db546
