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Barbara Kruger — Too Big To Fail Clock
Barbara Kruger

Too Big To Fail Clock

This silkscreened clock features bold white text reading "TOO BIG TO FAIL" against a stark black background, with red clock hands crossing through the large letters. The work is a pointed critique of financial institutions and corporate power, using the language of economic crisis and bailouts. The functional clock mechanism transforms the political statement into an everyday object, making the commentary on systemic inequality impossible to ignore. The stark graphic design and confrontational text are characteristic of activist art practices that challenge viewers to reconsider their relationship to consumer culture and institutional power.

Medium
Silkscreened clock
Dimensions

Notes

Lot 375 in EHC Essentials: Modern and Contemporary on Artsy (May 19, 2026).

🔨 Auction Lot

EHC Essentials: Modern and Contemporary

May 19, 2026

Lot 375

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About this work

Barbara Kruger, Too Big To Fail Clock

This silkscreened clock features bold white text reading "TOO BIG TO FAIL" against a stark black background, with red clock hands crossing through the large letters. The work is a pointed critique of financial institutions and corporate power, using the language of economic crisis and bailouts. The functional clock mechanism transforms the political statement into an everyday object, making the commentary on systemic inequality impossible to ignore. The stark graphic design and confrontational text are characteristic of activist art practices that challenge viewers to reconsider their relationship to consumer culture and institutional power.

Medium
Silkscreened clock
Dimensions
25.4 x 25.4 x 2.5 cm
Seen at
EHC Fine Art Auction, Unknown

Related themes

Consumer Culture, Readymade Object, Institutional Critique, Financial System, Mixed Media, Conceptual Art, Crisis Critique, Pop Art Influence, Graphic Design, Protest Art, Social Commentary, Black And White, Political Commentary, Text Based Art, Minimalist Aesthetics, Contemporary Art, Silkscreen Print, Functional Clock, Activist Art, Economic Satire

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