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Collections

El Anatsui
Fading Scroll2007

On view:
Geffen Galleries, The Power of Objects in West and Central Africa
Large-scale installation sculpture made from woven strips of colorful and metallic commercial packaging, draped in billowing folds across two gallery walls
Woven textile composed of densely packed horizontal strips of multicolored fabric in blue, red, yellow, green, black, and gold, organized into rectangular blocks separated by braided white bands, with twisted fringe elements at the corners and edges.
Woven textile construction made from densely packed strips of colorful printed packaging material in red, blue, green, black, and tan, interlaced in a grid pattern with white knotted elements along the borders and two twisted braided strands hanging from the lower edge.
Woven textile with dense grid of narrow vertical strips in multicolored patterns — red, yellow, blue, green, black, and gold — separated by horizontal bands of braided white and metallic yarn, with a twisted cord visible at upper right.
Mixed-media textile work composed of densely packed strips of patterned and printed paper or fabric woven and layered in horizontal rows, in vivid yellow, red, blue, green, black, and white, with braided accent bands and scattered buttons.
Woven textile constructed from flattened and folded candy wrappers and paper packaging, interlaced in a dense grid pattern with multicolored strips in red, blue, yellow, green, and tan, with white plastic connectors along the edges and two braided straps hanging from the bottom.
Woven assemblage of flattened, printed tin or foil strips in red, yellow, blue, green, and black, arranged in an interlocking grid pattern against a white ground, with visible brand text including "Star," "Ponche," and "Baron" on many strips.
Woven assemblage of flattened and folded candy and snack wrappers in yellow, red, blue, green, black, and white, with printed brand names visible; tightly interlaced strips form a dense, quilt-like surface with a braided vertical band running through the center.
Textile work woven from flattened cigarette packets and branded wrappers in yellow, red, blue, green, and white, interlaced in a diagonal lattice pattern with visible staples or pins at intersections.
Mixed-media textile work composed of woven and stitched cigar band wrappers in repeating vertical columns, featuring printed labels in red, blue, green, black, and gold on cream backgrounds, joined with white plastic connectors and dark thread in a grid-like pattern.
Mixed-media collage assembled from flattened bottle caps and liquor label strips in red, yellow, blue, green, and black, arranged in horizontal bands to suggest a stylized face, with brand names including "Black Gold Whisky," "Castello," and "Niccolo Ponche" legible throughout.
Mixed-media assemblage of flattened bottle caps and beverage labels pinned to a surface, including brands such as "Black Gold Whisky," "Castello," "Niccolo Ponche," and "Romatex," arranged in overlapping horizontal rows with visible nail fasteners throughout.
Artist or Maker
El Anatsui
Anyako, Ghana, born 1944, active Nsukka, Nigeria
Title
Fading Scroll
Date Made
2007
Medium
Aluminum liquor bottle caps and copper wire
Dimensions
136 x 472 in. (345.44 x 1198.88 cm)
Credit Line
Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Fowler Museum, UCLA, purchased jointly with funds provided by The Broad Art Foundation, Phil Berg, Mary and Robert Looker, and Margaret Pexton Murray
Accession Number
M.2008.110
Classification
Sculpture
Collecting Area
Contemporary Art
Selected Bibliography
  • Gifts from Mary and Robert Looker, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, December 2017. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2017.
  • Lawson, Dhyandra. Imagining Black Diasporas: 21st Century Art & Poetics. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2024.
Copyright
© El Anatsui

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