The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Untitled

1999

Dawoud Bey

(American, b. 1953)
America
Polaroid
Image: 61.2 x 52.5 cm (24 1/8 x 20 11/16 in.); Image with border: 69.9 x 55.7 cm (27 1/2 x 21 15/16 in.); Paper: 73.3 x 55.7 cm (28 7/8 x 21 15/16 in.); Mounted: 74.5 x 56.9 cm (29 5/16 x 22 3/8 in.)
Gift of Carl and Joan Schneider 2018.311.2
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Bey saw contemporary painters making multiple-panel paintings and thought, why not apply this to a photo sitting?

Description

Bringing the massive Polaroid 20 x 24 camera into museums, colleges, and schools for extended periods, Dawoud Bey made portraits on site of visitors, students, and staff. This demystified the art-making process for the participants while turning museums into places where art was not just displayed but also created.
  • Private Collection
    Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago, IL
    2017-2018
    Carl and Joan Schneider, Whitmore Lake, MI
    December 3, 2018
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Untitled|url=false|author=Dawoud Bey|year=1999|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.311.2