Open daily. Always free.
Old Used Torn Towel

Old Used Torn Towel

El Anatsui

El Anatsui created Old Used Torn Towel from 14 panels of West African hardwoods that he carved, in part, with a power saw and selectively burned with a torch. Using a router, he added English words and elements from West African writing systems. Both the materials and techniques hold meaning for the artist: the different woods reflect the different cultures of Africa, and the saw, he explained, speaks “a language of violence, of tearing, of clawing, of dividing” evocative of colonial rule.
Artist/Maker
El Anatsui
(Ghanaian, active in Nigeria, b. 1944)
Title
Old Used Torn Towel
Date
around 2003
Material & Process
African hardwoods and pigment
Dimensions
24 x 54 x 1 in. Overall
Credit
J. David and Laura Seefried Horsfall Endowment Fund purchase
Inventory No.
2005.58a-n
Classification
Sculpture
Location
Nigeria

Related

2005, sold by Contemporary African Art Gallery (New York, New York) to the Chazen Museum of Art

  • Chazen Museum of Art. "Bulletin 2003-2007." Madison: Chazen Museum of Art, 2010. p. 37, no. 2
  • Sytsma, Janine. "The Sculpture of El Anatsui: Rupture and Renewal at the Chazen Museum of Art." Bulletin 2003-2007. Chazen Museum of Art (2010): 36-41. pp. 36-41, no. 2
  • Rarey, Matthew Francis and Henry John Drewal. "Never at Rest: African Art at the University of Wisconsin." African Arts, vol 53, no. 4 (2020): 68-85. fig. 13

The Chazen Museum of Art welcomes comments or inquiries about works in our collection. Please allow two–three weeks for a response. Chazen staff is not able to provide valuations or authentications and such inquiries cannot be answered.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name*

Information about artworks presented here may not reflect the most current research. Chazen staff update records as new details emerge; please verify independently for scholarly use and notify us of any errors.