The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 21, 2026

A square platinum print depicts a woman with a dark skin tone and pulled-back hair standing behind a wooden table. She wears a black shirt, hoop earrings, and a watch, her palms resting flat on the table as she looks directly out at us. A conical lamp hangs overhead, casting a bright glow around her head. In the background, a vent, framed picture, and paneled door define the sparse interior.

The Kitchen Table Series: Untitled (Woman Standing Alone)

1990

Carrie Mae Weems

(American, b. 1953)
America
platinum print
Image: 38.1 x 38.1 cm (15 x 15 in.); Paper: 50.8 x 50.8 cm (20 x 20 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2008.116.20
© Carrie Mae Weems. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Location: Not on view

Description

In Untitled (Kitchen Table Series) Carrie Mae Weems staged and photographed a fictional drama, playing the lead role herself. In the context of a simple setting that remains constant—the artist’s own kitchen table—the series explores the
shifting roles occupied by the strong central female character: lover, friend, and mother. Together the images and texts suggest that while the woman is many things to others, she is first and foremost rooted in herself. The authority of the protagonist in Untitled (Kitchen Table Series) has had an enduring impact for over three decades since this iconic work was created.
  • Hinson, Tom. "Say Cheese." Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 49, no. 6 (July/August 2009): 10-11. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 11 archive.org
    Delmez, Kathryn. "Storming the Barricades." Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 53, no. 4 (July/August 2013): 4-5. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 4 archive.org
    Liebert, Emily, Nadiah Fellah, and William Griswold. Picturing Motherhood Now. Cleveland : Cleveland Museum of Art, 2021. Reproduced: p. 49, fig. 20.
  • Picturing Motherhood Now. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 16, 2021-March 13, 2022).
    Carrie Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 30-September 29, 2013).
    Portraiture: American Photography 1960 to the Present. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 1-September 13, 2009).
  • {{cite web|title=The Kitchen Table Series: Untitled (Woman Standing Alone)|url=false|author=Carrie Mae Weems|year=1990|access-date=21 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2008.116.20