Autistic Reality
To Die Upon A Kiss
About the Artist: Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson was born in 1954 in the Bronx, New York, to an African American father and, as Wilson describes her, an “Anglo-Amerindian” mother. When he was young, the family moved to Westchester, Connecticut, to live what Wilson calls “the American dream.” Racist graffiti showed up in their yard before they even moved in.
Wilson spent most of his time in Westchester alone. “I had no friends,” he says of his time in Connecticut. “I developed this whole world on my own, and I think that’s why I’m an artist.”
Wilson’s parents divorced when he was eight years old. With his mother and sister, he returned to the Bronx and took art classes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, wandering after-hours into areas that the public never saw. He studied performance art and dance at the State University of New York in Purchase and worked at the campus’s Neuberger Museum of Art as a guard. After graduating in 1976, Wilson was employed by many of New York City’s major museums, where he gained a unique, insider’s perspective.
Wilson’s art reveals what might otherwise be forgotten or ignored. “Working in the Education Department at the Met and at the Museum of Natural History, I was very aware of what wasn’t being shown to the public,” he recalls. “Those were the experiences that really got me thinking.”
Glass terms
Chandelier
(from French, “candlestick”) A lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling, with two or more arms bearing lights (originally, candles) or two or more pendent lights. Many chandeliers have faceted lead glass arms, candle cups, shafts, and prisms, which reflect the light and sparkle like tiny mirrors.
The Details
•Title: To Die Upon A Kiss
•Maker(s): Fred Wilson
•Accession Number: 2014.3.10
•Place Made: Italy, Venice, Murano
•Dimensions:
oOverall Dimensions:
Height: about 178 cm
Diameter (max): about 174 cm
•Date: 2011
•Technique: blown, hot-worked glass, assembled
•Materials: Blown, hot-worked glass, electrical fittings
Interpretive Text
Venice is famous for its glass production, and chandeliers are a central part of that story. Artist Fred Wilson researched the history of Venice and uncovered a hidden history about the many contributions of Africans to the art and culture of Venice. What he learned led to a series of works in glass, all made in traditional Venetian style, but not with traditional colors. Part of that series, this chandelier visually represents the influence of Africans on the culture of Venice, with its pale glass elements gradually taking on a rich black luster.
To Die Upon A Kiss
About the Artist: Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson was born in 1954 in the Bronx, New York, to an African American father and, as Wilson describes her, an “Anglo-Amerindian” mother. When he was young, the family moved to Westchester, Connecticut, to live what Wilson calls “the American dream.” Racist graffiti showed up in their yard before they even moved in.
Wilson spent most of his time in Westchester alone. “I had no friends,” he says of his time in Connecticut. “I developed this whole world on my own, and I think that’s why I’m an artist.”
Wilson’s parents divorced when he was eight years old. With his mother and sister, he returned to the Bronx and took art classes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, wandering after-hours into areas that the public never saw. He studied performance art and dance at the State University of New York in Purchase and worked at the campus’s Neuberger Museum of Art as a guard. After graduating in 1976, Wilson was employed by many of New York City’s major museums, where he gained a unique, insider’s perspective.
Wilson’s art reveals what might otherwise be forgotten or ignored. “Working in the Education Department at the Met and at the Museum of Natural History, I was very aware of what wasn’t being shown to the public,” he recalls. “Those were the experiences that really got me thinking.”
Glass terms
Chandelier
(from French, “candlestick”) A lighting fixture suspended from the ceiling, with two or more arms bearing lights (originally, candles) or two or more pendent lights. Many chandeliers have faceted lead glass arms, candle cups, shafts, and prisms, which reflect the light and sparkle like tiny mirrors.
The Details
•Title: To Die Upon A Kiss
•Maker(s): Fred Wilson
•Accession Number: 2014.3.10
•Place Made: Italy, Venice, Murano
•Dimensions:
oOverall Dimensions:
Height: about 178 cm
Diameter (max): about 174 cm
•Date: 2011
•Technique: blown, hot-worked glass, assembled
•Materials: Blown, hot-worked glass, electrical fittings
Interpretive Text
Venice is famous for its glass production, and chandeliers are a central part of that story. Artist Fred Wilson researched the history of Venice and uncovered a hidden history about the many contributions of Africans to the art and culture of Venice. What he learned led to a series of works in glass, all made in traditional Venetian style, but not with traditional colors. Part of that series, this chandelier visually represents the influence of Africans on the culture of Venice, with its pale glass elements gradually taking on a rich black luster.