171

Kara Walker

(1969-)

The Means to an End...A Shadow Drama in 5 Acts.

Hard ground etching with aquatint on five sheets of Somerset satin paper, 1995.
Artist's proof, aside from the edition of 20. Signed, titled, dated and numbered II/V in pencil, upper edge recto. Each sheet initialed and dated, verso. Printed by Steve Campbell and published by Landfall Press, Inc.
Each sheet 34 3/4 x 23 1/4 in. (88.3 x 59.1 cm.), total 34 3/4 x 117 1/2 in. (88.3 x 298.5 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    Acquired from Landfall Press, Chicago, Illinois (August 24, 1999).
    Private collection, Rhode Island.
  • Notes:
    From left to right, this suite of silhouettes in aquatint reads like the table of contents: The Beginning, The Hunt, The Chase, The Plunge, The End. The remainder of the story is couched in polite silence — harboring racism, distrust, fear, and intense, obsessive love.

    Additional impressions are in the collections of The Princeton Art Museum, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Walker Art Center and the Yale University Art Gallery.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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October 7, 2025 12:00 PM EDT
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