The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Untitled

1999

Dawoud Bey

(American, b. 1953)
America
Polaroid
Image: 62.3 x 52.9 cm (24 1/2 x 20 13/16 in.); Image with border: 67.3 x 55.3 cm (26 1/2 x 21 3/4 in.); Paper: 73.4 x 55.6 cm (28 7/8 x 21 7/8 in.); Mounted: 74.6 x 56.8 cm (29 3/8 x 22 3/8 in.)
Gift of Carl and Joan Schneider 2018.311.3
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=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.311.3