Kelis: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color photograph of Kelis, by Platon. The close-up of Kelis shows her in profile facing the right edge of the photograph. She is depicted from the shoulders up, leaning slightly forward, her forehead tilted downwards. Her shoulder length hair is hanging loosely in thick curls around her face. Her hair is yellow with green and blue balayage tips. She is wearing a dark turtleneck shirt and has a silver chain around her neck. 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: 1999; printed 2019
• Photograph by: Platon, British, born 1968
• Subject of: Kelis, American, born 1979
• Type: pigment prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: pigment on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 14 3/8 × 21 1/2 in. (36.5 × 54.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 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: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Soul (Music)
• Object number: 2021.33.50
• 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.