Photograph of "Wall Mural Tupac Shakur Live by the Gun" by Andre Charles: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of a graffiti mural by the artist Andre P. Charles titled "Wall Mural Tupac Shakur Live by the Gun," memorializing Tupac Shakur. The mural, on Houston Street in New York City, is spray-painted on a metal security gate inset into a brick wall. in the center is a portrait of Shakur. Above and below him are the words [LIVE BY THE GUN DIE BY THE GUN]. Pedestrians pass by on either side of the image. On the back are inscriptions by Bill Adler identifying the photographer, subject, location, and date.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: February 1997; printed 2003
• Photograph by: Al Pereira, American, born 1963
• Created by: Andre P. Charles, American, born 1968
• Subject of: Tupac Amaru Shakur, American, 1971 - 1996
• Printed by: Bill Adler, American, born 1951
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 15/16 × 13 15/16 in. (27.8 × 35.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 11/16 × 12 7/8 in. (22.1 × 32.7 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Topic: Urban life
• Topic: Violence
• Object number: 2015.132.323
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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: © Al Pereira Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.