David Hammons

He is renowned for his provocative political work which highlights the cultural reality of African-American life, often tinged with a healthy dose of humour. Hammons has also proudly cultivated a reputation as an outsider in the art world. He audited night courses in art with artist Charles White at the Otis Art Institute, and began creating his first Body Prints around the end of the 1960s. His work is influenced by his experiences as a New Yorker, where he settled in 1974, and is inspired by elements from his daily life. Many of his performances have made an impact, notably in 1983, when Hammons sold snowballs of varying sizes on a NYC sidewalk (Bliz-aard Ball Sale).

The Fondation Cartier possesses four works by Hammons, and is one of the rare French institutions that has been collecting his work since the 1990s. In 1996, Hammons was invited to participate in the collective exhibition Comme un Oiseau, inspired by the human fascination for the species. Two years later, in 1998, the Fondation Cartier again presented his work in the Être Nature exhibition, which brought together around ten artists to examine the relationship between works of art and nature.