Beeldleer scope note

Beauty examined (1993) by Kerry James Marshall based on Rembrandt van Rijn’s The anatomy lesson of Nicolaes Tulp is part of another attempt to understand the meaning and perception of beauty, in particular in the portrayal of black people in the context of a predominantly white Western history of art and aesthetics. Anna Katz described this image, supported by the textual subscriptions on the painting, as follows: “Marshall’s Beauty examined puts the notion of beauty on trial. The evidence submitted to the court of aesthetic judgement,labeled ‘Exhibit’, is black and female, thirty years old, five feet six inches tall, weighing 148 pounds, with black hair”.

A. Katz, ‘Beauty examined’, in K.J. Marshall and H. Molesworth (eds.), Mastry, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, New York 2016, p. 114.