Andre Benjamin: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color photograph of Andre Benjamin, by Platon. Benjamin is depicted from the shoulders up. He is shown in profile, bust pose, facing the left edge of the photograph. His head is turned and he is looking sideways at the viewer over his proper left shoulder, with a serious expression on his face. He is wearing a dark gray suit jacket, white dress shirt with rounded collar points, blue bow tie, and a matching blue beret. He has a small mustache, goatee, and chin beard. He is centered inside a white halo effect with a light to dark blue gradient background along the edges. The photograph has a thick white border. The edition number, [5/12], is printed in the bottom left corner. The photographer’s signature and date, [Platon 19], is handwritten in the bottom right corner. Inside the border, at the bottom center, is the photographer’s embossed mark: [PLATON ? / EDITIONED ? / PRINT ?[encircled between two bands of embossed dots]]. The back of the photograph is plain and white.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2008; printed 2019
• Photograph by: Platon, British, born 1968
• Subject of: André 3000, American, born 1975
• Type: pigment prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: pigment on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 19 3/4 × 16 1/16 in. (50.2 × 40.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
• Place printed: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2021.33.70
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Platon Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.