Big Brother
Artist
Nancy Burson
(American, born 1948)
Date1983
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 12 x 14 3/4 inches (30.48 x 37.47 cm)
Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Object number2005.27.3903
SignedCopyright
Signed in artist's hand
1983
"Copyright 1983 Nancy Burson with Richard Carling and David Kramlich"
Recto, LL
Handwritten
Signature
Signed in artist's hand
Recto, LR
Edition/State/Proofed. 2/15
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionImage of man's face; he has short hair and mustache.Gallery LabelIn 1982, Nancy Burson pioneered the use of computers to create composite portraits such as Big Brother, a title derived from George Orwell’s famous novel 1984. Here, Burson merges the faces of Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, Hitler, and Khomeini, to create a generic “portrait” of modern despotism. While Burson’s use of computer technology was radically new when she made this work, this approach is indebted to the composite portraits of the 1880s.
Copyright© Nancy Burson
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