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All about the Benjamins Century Vase

2016
Roberto Lugo (American, born 1981)
Here you will find Benjamin Franklin as you’ve never seen him before. Philadelphia-born artist Roberto Lugo riffs on the traditional representations of Franklin found throughout the city—ones that celebrate him as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. You can see one such stately portrayal of Franklin directly behind you, in gallery 384.Lugo places Franklin within a constellation of songs, symbols, and rappers’ names—ones that shaped his childhood and adult life. The artist also includes his own self-portrait on the other side of the vase, creating an imagined dialogue between himself and Franklin around the themes of money, history, violence, and success.

Object Details

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