The Commons
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
In this monumental work, Paul Ramírez Jonas adopts the language of imperial power traditionally expressed through equestrian statues but omits a human figure, thus shifting the focus from the commemoration of individual leaders to the power of the collective. The artist designed the sculpture out of cork to be adorned by visitors and accumulate messages and keepsakes over time.
The European tradition of equestrian statuary dates to the ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. This legacy of cementing power continues today in the selection of historical monuments decided upon by an elite few rather than by the communities who live with these images everyday. In light of ongoing debates around monuments, amplified most recently by the Black Lives Matter movement, Ramírez Jonas’s sculpture usurps this history to present a communal alternative function for this hallowed motif.
Caption
Paul Ramírez Jonas American, born 1965. The Commons, 2011. Cork, pushpins, paper, wood, metal armature, 153 × 124 × 64 in. (388.6 × 315 × 162.6 cm) horse head: 48 × 50 × 21 in. (121.9 × 127 × 53.3 cm) body of horse: 85 × 94 × 40 in. (215.9 × 238.8 × 101.6 cm) main base: 39 × 100 × 39 in. (99.1 × 254 × 99.1 cm) base cornice: 4 × 100 × 39 in. (10.2 × 254 × 99.1 cm) storage (2022 storage volume for horse with head on pallet): 102 × 104 × 40 in. (25. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of The John & Melissa Ceriale Family Foundation and Leo Koenig, 2020.21. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2020.21_PS11.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
The Commons
Date
2011
Medium
Cork, pushpins, paper, wood, metal armature
Classification
Dimensions
153 × 124 × 64 in. (388.6 × 315 × 162.6 cm) horse head: 48 × 50 × 21 in. (121.9 × 127 × 53.3 cm) body of horse: 85 × 94 × 40 in. (215.9 × 238.8 × 101.6 cm) main base: 39 × 100 × 39 in. (99.1 × 254 × 99.1 cm) base cornice: 4 × 100 × 39 in. (10.2 × 254 × 99.1 cm) storage (2022 storage volume for horse with head on pallet): 102 × 104 × 40 in. (25
Credit Line
Gift of The John & Melissa Ceriale Family Foundation and Leo Koenig
Accession Number
2020.21
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at
