Pygmalion
Pygmalion

© the estate of Donald G. Rodney. Image credit: Owen de Visser 2023

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In 'Pygmalion', Rodney transforms the figure of the 'Laughing Policeman', familiar from seaside arcades and funfairs, into a macabre puppet version of the pop singer Michael Jackson, complete with Jheri-curl wig, gold trimmed jacket and single silver glove. Rodney has applied a thick coat of black face paint to the mechanical figure, in an act that contravenes the visible whitening of Jackson's own skin. In highlighting Jackson’s ambivalent status as a controversial pop culture icon, the work speaks to Rodney's long-standing interests in the construction of race and media representations of Black masculinity.

Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

Birmingham

Title

Pygmalion

Date

1996–1997

Medium

wood & textile

Measurements

H 145 x W 79.5 x D 79.5 cm

Accession number

2018.2

Acquisition method

purchased

Work type

Other

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Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 3DH England

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