Bobby McFerrin: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of Bobby McFerrin, by Platon. McFerrin is depicted seated with his proper right ankle crossed over his proper left leg. His proper left elbow is propped on the side of his proper right calf with his hand wrapped around the bicep of his proper right arm. His proper right arm is draped across his lap. He is smiling and looking up and to the left into the distance. His chest length dreadlocks are draped over his shoulders, and he has a beard and mustache. He is wearing a black, short sleeve T-shirt and dark tone jeans. The background of the photograph is bright white. 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: 2012; printed 2019
• Photograph by: Platon, British, born 1968
• Subject of: Bobby McFerrin, American, born 1950
• Type: pigment prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: pigment on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 20 7/8 × 20 in. (53.1 × 50.8 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: Classical (Music)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2021.33.51
• 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.