Laments: Death came and he looked like... (Sarcophagus lid)

1987

Laments: Death came and he looked like... (Sarcophagus lid), 1987. Jenny Holzer (American, 1950-). Marble; 45.7 x 61 x 137.2 cm (18 x 24 x 54 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchased with funds donated by Scott Mueller 2019.19.1.b © Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Laments: Death came and he looked like… belongs to one of Jenny Holzer’s iconic sculpture series, the Laments. A response to the AIDS epidemic, the series is based on 13 texts written by Holzer that she describes as “voices of the dead.” Each text was manifested in two forms: as colored light flowing between the ceiling and floor on LED signs, and as engravings carved into the tops of sarcophagi made of different stones. This work is one of those pairings. The same text is displayed in motion on the LED sign and static on the surface of the sarcophagus.