#historicalsociety

Fred Wilson (b. 1954, Bronx, New York) challenges assumptions of history, culture, race, and conventions of display with his work. Known for his politically charged work that explore issues faced by Africans and African-Americans in past centuries, Fred Wilson makes sculptures that are, first and foremost, beautiful. His Murano glass mirrors (2009), made from onyx Murano glass (a color never before used for decorative objects), are glossy and ornate, while Regina Atra (2006), Wilson’s version of the Diamond Diadem, the celebrated crown worn by Her Majesty the Queen of England, is as delicate and opulent as the original. Each is a commentary on the African experience, a theme that is occasionally met with great resistance, as in the case of Wilson’s thwarted efforts to erect a sculpture of a freed slave in Indianapolis, which was to be titled E Pluribus Unum. By reframing objects and cultural symbols, he alters traditional interpretations, encouraging viewers to reconsider social and historical narratives. Since his groundbreaking and historically significant exhibition Mining the Museum (1992) at the Maryland Historical Society, Wilson has been the subject of many solo exhibitions.