Skip to contentSkip to navigation

Richard Milette

Garniture on a Yellow Ground
From the series "Ordre ou désordre"

Artist

Richard Milette
Born in L'Assomption, Quebec, in 1960

Title

Garniture on a Yellow Ground
From the series "Ordre ou désordre"

Date

2004

Materials

Ceramic

Dimensions

33.5 x 56 x 17.2 cm

Credits

Gift of Richard Milette, inv. 2011.227.1-3

Collection

Decorative Arts and Design

Like metonymies, Richard Milette’s sculptures refer to known quantities, in this case, to stereotypical or other historical Chinese ceramics. Here, he is inspired by Chinese porcelain, monochrome enamel vases from an eighteenth-century export garniture to create a conceptual work that nullifies both their original function as containers and their worth as construed Western objects of prestige. The inscriptions in large cartouches encourage the viewer to seek a narrative connection, but the artist inserted his own wordplay, thus subverting the system of values that saw these objects as exotic cultural signifiers.

Add a touch of culture to your inbox
Subscribe to the Museum newsletter

Bourgie Hall Newsletter sign up