Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital slr-2008.

The Necklace

Artist Alessandra Sanguinetti (American, b.1968)

Date1999

MediumPigmented inkjet print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 9 x 9 in. (22.9 x 22.9 cm)
12 1/8 x 12 1/8 in. (30.8 x 30.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 3/4 × 18 1/2 in. (52.7 × 47 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineGift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel

Object number2007.12.84

Terms

Girls
Jewelry
Bed
Blue
Red
White
Black
Peach
Orange
Green

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis digital pigment print is of two girls sitting on a bed. The girl on left is wearing earrings and a necklace and is looking at a pendant necklace the girl on the right is wearing. The girl on the right looks out at the viewer and is also wearing earrings and a small red midriff shirt.

Label TextAlessandra Sanguinetti American (b. 1968) The Necklace from The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of Their Dreams series, 1999 Pigmented inkjet print Gift of Joyce F. and Robert B. Menschel 2007.12.84 I have attempted to interpret the ending of their childhood by entering their imaginary spaces. The time when their dreams, fantasies, and fears would fuse seamlessly with real day-to-day life are ending, and the photographs I have made intend to crystallize this rapidly disappearing very personal and free space. Alessandra Sanguinetti's series The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of Their Dreams invites us to ponder the world of childhood dress-up and the early friendships that shape who we become. Spanning five years, Sanguinetti worked collaboratively with two cousins, Guille and Belinda, on their rural farm in Buenos Aires, Argentina, beginning when they were nine and ten years old. In so doing, she sought to capture their secret world and ultimately the story of childhood's end. At first glance, The Necklace seems an ordinary moment between youthful friends. Guille is admiring Belinda's necklace, which seems heavy on her delicate frame. Yet as Guille stares innocently at the jewelry, Belinda's direct gaze and evident self-awareness suggest she already knows things beyond her years.