Merritt and my first choice for the acquisition assignment was Adrian Ghenie’s Nickelodeon. When I first came across the painting in the Christie’s catalogue, I was immediately struck by the bold brushstrokes, the mutilated faces, and the painterly thickness permeating the painting that made it so … tangible. It was as if the figures in the painting were ready to walk out, and the  floor would feel like actual rough wood to the touch. Given the size of the work, I thought it would make a powerful impact to the visitors of YUAG if hung in the lobby of the gallery to greet the visitors.

However, in the end we decided that the painting’s visual virtuosities were its main, if not only, appeal. The YUAG’s mission statement makes it clear that the gallery has social and communal mandates that go beyond visual virtuosity. Ghenie would be another European, white male addition to the many already occupying the gallery’s space.

In this sense, Mutu’s Try Dismantling the Little Empire Inside You came across as a much more holistic acquisition for the YUAG. In addition to its visual appeal, the piece was by an African female artist. Furthermore, the personal and expressive content of the painting would challenge the stereotypical association, which the YUAG could to more to combat, of African Art with antiquity and the tribalism there in. Finally Mutu is an Yale alumna. The decision was not difficult to make.