Alien/Home Grown
Artist
Alexander Brooks (A.B.) Jackson
(American, 1925 - 1981)
CultureAmerican
Date1976-1977
MediumMixed media on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 39 7/8 x 52 in. (101.3 x 132.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 41 3/8 x 53 3/8 in. (105.1 x 135.6 cm)
Overall, Frame: 41 3/8 x 53 3/8 in. (105.1 x 135.6 cm)
InscribedSigned lower right.
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number79.107
Not on view
DescriptionMixed media on canvas painting of a solitary man against a background of white, tan, and red bands of color.Label TextA.B. Jackson American (1925–1981) Alien/Home Grown, 1976–77 Mixed media on canvas Museum purchase with a grant from the Virginia Commission of Arts & Humanities 79.107 A.B. Jackson’s solitary man seems to be contemplating his position in society. He is as American as anyone else, but is the victim of racial stereotypes, prejudice, and violence. The title Alien/Home Grown expresses the contradictory sentiments of belonging and estrangement that have long been a part of the daily life of non-white communities. Jackson’s work ruminates on the position of so-called minority citizens in a thoughtful and disquieting manner. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to an Irish mother and African-American father, A.B. Jackson earned two degrees in art from Yale University, and eventually became the first black faculty member at Old Dominion University.Exhibition HistoryLent to EVMS in 1979. "Remix Redux: A Fresh Mix For Our Modern And Contemporary Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, August 15 - December 30, 2012. "Passerby: An A.B. Jackson Retrospective," The Baron and Ellin Galleries at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, May 23 - August 2, 2015.Published ReferencesKathryn McGuire, _Passerby: An A.B. Jackson Retrospective_ (Norfolk, VA: Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, Old Dominion University, 2015) 15.
