End of the Empire
Artist: Stephen Paul Day (American, born 1954)
Date: 2020
Dimensions:
6 × 15 1/2 × 6 9/16 in. (15.2 × 39.4 × 16.7 cm)
Medium: cast glass
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Museum Art Fund
Object number: 2022.19
Label Text:Stephen Paul Day uses his sharp wit and critical commentary on history and human behavior to engage audiences with his art. This sculpture depicts the head of Napoleon Bonaparte on the end of a piece of PVC pipe, both cast in glass. In a twist on traditional portrait busts, Napoleon’s head rests awkwardly on the floor like a wilted flower. The sculpture represents the French leader in 1803, when he traded control of a large parcel of land (the Louisiana Purchase), including New Orleans, to the United States in exchange for funds to fight the British. This reference to loss and eventual defeat alludes to the lingering effects of French rule on New Orleans, where Day lives, and which still operates under a legal system influenced by civil codes established under Napoleon’s rule.
Day chose black glass for his sculpture as a reference to the history of slavery and how it altered the city of New Orleans.
Day chose black glass for his sculpture as a reference to the history of slavery and how it altered the city of New Orleans.
DescriptionPortrait bust of Napoleon attached to a curved form that takes the shape of a pvc pipe. These elements are slumped to be on the level as the sculpture's base. The work is cast in black class.
Not on view