Oct 08, 2019 - Sale 2518

Sale 2518 - Lot 136

Price Realized: $ 27,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 20,000 - $ 30,000
CARRIE MAE WEEMS (1953 - )
White Patty, White Patty, You Don't Shine, Meet You Around the Corner, And Beat Your Behind.

Gelatin silver print, with printed text, 1987. 356x279 mm; 20x16 inches (sheet). Artist's proof, one of two artist's proofs aside from the edition of 5. Signed, dated, inscribed "A P 1/2" and "Happy Birthday Sarah" in pencil, verso. From the Ain't Jokin' series, of six photographs.

White Patty, White Patty is a significant and very scarce work from the artist's 1987-1988 series - one of only two artist's proofs. Kathryn E. Delmez describes this important, early series as examining "humor as a socially acceptable way to promote officially unacceptable ideologies through unflinching pairings of stage photographs with racist jokes, ideas or phrases." Ain't Jokin' is also the first artist's series to incorporate text with her photographs.

Another print of White Patty, White Patty is in the collection of the Princeton University Art Museum. Delmez fig 2.5; p 67.