Fred Wilson (American, born 1954). <em>Grey Area (Brown version)</em>, 1993. Pigment, plaster, and wood, Overall: 20 x 84 in. (50.8 x 213.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of William K. Jacobs, Jr. and bequest of Richard J. Kempe, by exchange, 2008.6a-j. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2008.6a-j_profile_PS4.jpg)

Fred Wilson (American, born 1954). Grey Area (Brown version), 1993. Pigment, plaster, and wood, Overall: 20 x 84 in. (50.8 x 213.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of William K. Jacobs, Jr. and bequest of Richard J. Kempe, by exchange, 2008.6a-j. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2008.6a-j_profile_PS4.jpg)

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What are these Egyptian heads about? Why is it controversial? Is it because the heads are different colors?

That piece is by a contemporary artist named Fred Wilson who deals with issues of race and representations of race within museum collections. You may have read this on the label, but it is a commentary on how Ancient Egyptians are often conceived of/represented as White, when the population was actually very metropolitan made up of many races/ethnicities.

History often whitewashed the fact that Egypt is in Africa, so there were Nubian people living there, and it was close to the Ancient Middle East, so there were populations of Persian people, Jewish people, travelers from Rome and more.

In fact one of the very first historians to write "history books," Herodotus talked about the African aspects of Egyptian civilization when he visited the Nile Valley in the fifth century B.C.E. It wasn't until the 1840s that a group of American authors, writing to justify the Atlantic slave trade, argued that the Egyptians were a separate population with no relation to other Africans. Historians today are now trying to undo that racism.

What is the message behind this piece?

Like a lot of contemporary art, the artist is presenting us with that exact question for us to consider. In this piece, Fred Wilson raises controversial questions about the racial identity of ancient Egyptians. Referring to one of the most copied works of ancient civilization, Wilson illustrates a value scale ranging in color from oatmeal to dark chocolate.

Who is the model for these?

Those pieces are all modeled after a famous sculpture of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti that belongs to the Egyptian Museum of Berlin collection (currently on display in the Neues Museum). The original sculpture is over 3000 years old -- Nefertiti's estimated life/death dates are ca. 1370 – ca. 1330 BC.

Tell me more.

This work of contemporary art is a new addition to our Egyptian galleries! The artist, Fred Wilson, reproduced the famous bust of Nefertiti in 5 skin tones. This work is a comment on how ancient Egyptians are often conceived of as White when the actual kingdom would have been made up of people of many ethnicities.

I've never seen Nefertiti in those tones.

Most of the ancient depictions we have of her have either lost their color or were painted red, which was a convention of Egyptian art and not reflective of actual skin tones. Wilson produced this work in 1993. In Western history (and art history), Egypt, which is in Africa, was often whitewashed. The skin tones represented in Wilson's work reference the back and forth over Egyptian racial identity and the ambiguity of such discussions.

Would it be fair to call this an accurate depiction of Nefertiti?

Not necessarily. This is a work of contemporary art (1993) that is based on an ancient Egyptian sculpture of Nefertiti. In ancient Egypt, artistic trends affected the way humans in general were depicted which sometimes translated into idealized or hyper-stylized depictions of people. There is probably some level of "truth" in this depiction of Nefertiti but to say how much would be difficult.

Why are there queens of Egypt?

There are queens in ancient Egypt because they, along with their husbands, were the rulers! This queen is called Nefertiti. She was married to the king Akhenaten and together they ruled over ancient Egypt.

Tell me more.

"Grey Area (Brown Version)" by Fred Wilson uses museums as the medium, reflecting on what art means in the context of history and display. For this work, Wilson shows us five portrait busts of Queen Nefertiti, based on the famous sculpture currently in Berlin. They are identical except for their range of colors, referencing skin colors from very light to dark. The work is meant to recall the debates among western scholars about the race and identity of ancient Egyptians. Historically, western egyptologists have had a habit of divorcing Egypt from the rest of Africa in their scholarship, despite the reality.

Grey Area (Brown version)

Fred Wilson

Contemporary Art

Fred Wilson often appropriates art objects to explore issues of race, gender, class, politics, and aesthetics. Made up of five portrait heads of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, Grey Area (Brown Version) refers to one of the most copied works of ancient civilization. The otherwise identical plaster effigies, which he purchased and painted, illustrate a value scale ranging in color from oatmeal to dark chocolate. Thus, Wilson raises, but does not answer, controversial questions about the racial identity of ancient Egyptians.

In both his provocative, groundbreaking installations in cultural institutions and in his studio work, Wilson encourages viewers to recognize how changes in context create changes in meaning. He has said of his practice, “I use beauty as a way of helping people to receive difficult or upsetting ideas. The topical issues are merely a vehicle for making one aware of one’s own perceptual shift—which is the real thrill.”

ARTIST Fred Wilson, American, born 1954

MEDIUM Pigment, plaster, and wood

DATES 1993

DIMENSIONS Overall: 20 x 84 in. (50.8 x 213.4 cm) Each bust: 18 3/4 x 9 x 13 in. (47.6 x 22.9 x 33 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 2008.6a-j

CREDIT LINE Bequest of William K. Jacobs, Jr. and bequest of Richard J. Kempe, by exchange

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Five painted plaster busts of Nefer Titi (a - e) sitting on five wood shelves (f - j).

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Fred Wilson (American, born 1954). Grey Area (Brown version), 1993. Pigment, plaster, and wood, Overall: 20 x 84 in. (50.8 x 213.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of William K. Jacobs, Jr. and bequest of Richard J. Kempe, by exchange, 2008.6a-j. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2008.6a-j_profile_PS4.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 2008.6a-j_profile_PS4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015

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The Brooklyn Museum holds a non-exclusive license to reproduce images of this work of art from the rights holder named here. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org. If you wish to contact the rights holder for this work, please email copyright@brooklynmuseum.org and we will assist if we can.

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

What are these Egyptian heads about? Why is it controversial? Is it because the heads are different colors?

What is the message behind this piece?

Who is the model for these?

Tell me more.

I've never seen Nefertiti in those tones.

Would it be fair to call this an accurate depiction of Nefertiti?

Why are there queens of Egypt?

Tell me more.