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Kehinde Wiley — The Gypsy Fortune-Teller
Kehinde Wiley

The Gypsy Fortune-Teller

Kehinde Wiley's "The Gypsy Fortune-Teller" appropriates and recontextualizes the historical painting by Caravaggio through the medium of Jacquard woven tapestry, substituting a contemporary Black subject into the composition of the Old Master work. Executed in cotton, merino wool, and Trevira CS, the tapestry transforms the traditional art historical narrative while simultaneously elevating the textile medium to fine art status. This work exemplifies Wiley's broader artistic practice of interrogating canon and representation by inserting marginalized figures into positions of prominence within Western art historical frameworks.

Medium
Jacquard woven tapestry in cotton, merino wool and Trevira CS.

🔨 Auction Lot

Editions & Works on Paper

February 12, 2025

Lot 29

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About this work

Kehinde Wiley, The Gypsy Fortune-Teller

Kehinde Wiley's "The Gypsy Fortune-Teller" appropriates and recontextualizes the historical painting by Caravaggio through the medium of Jacquard woven tapestry, substituting a contemporary Black subject into the composition of the Old Master work. Executed in cotton, merino wool, and Trevira CS, the tapestry transforms the traditional art historical narrative while simultaneously elevating the textile medium to fine art status. This work exemplifies Wiley's broader artistic practice of interrogating canon and representation by inserting marginalized figures into positions of prominence within Western art historical frameworks.

Medium
Jacquard woven tapestry in cotton, merino wool and Trevira CS.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Large Scale Painting, American Artist, Dramatic Lighting, 21st Century, Portrait, Narrative Realism, Contemporary Art, Figure Painting, Oil on Canvas, Romanticism revival

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