Artwork Page for ABC

Details / Information for ABC

ABC

1993

Zerihun Yetmgeta

(Ethiopian, b. 1941)
Culture
Ethiopia, 20th century
Medium
mixed media on bamboo
Measurements
Overall: 104.8 x 41.3 x 3.8 cm (41 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Raymond A. Silverman 2025.150
Copyright
Copyright
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

The artwork of Zerihun Yetmgeta can also be seen at the Ethiopian Cultural Garden in Cleveland, a short walk from the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Description

ABC evokes healing scrolls from Ethiopia, as well as Ethiopian architecture, art, and language. Such parchment scrolls use text and images to protect against sickness, the evil eye, or other misfortune. This scroll-inspired format is a unique innovation of the artist, transforming weavers' reeds (used to align threads) covered in hide into his canvas. The work is divided into three registers painted in shades of red, yellow, blue, and green; these saturated tones reflect historical Ethiopian Christian painting. The iconography on each register draws both from millennia of historical Ethiopian arts and from present-day observations of everyday life.
A vertically oriented mixed media construction on bamboo, painted in bright red, yellow, and blue, consists of three panels joined by dark rods. Stacked rows of symbols are crowned by sun and moon faces. On the left, stick figures hunt with bows. The center panel depicts a figure with a heart on their chest. The right panel includes alphabet letters above seated figures and a small screen at the bottom.

ABC

1993

Zerihun Yetmgeta

(Ethiopian, b. 1941)
Ethiopia, 20th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork