Ivanah Alexandre

Bio

Barbara Kruger (b. January 26, 1945) is an American artist who is most known for her collage art. Her artwork tends to combine black and white photography with bold statements in white boxed in a bold red rectangle. She is said to use Futura Bold Oblique or Helvetica Ultra Condensed as her font. She attended Syracuse University then Parsons School of Design in New York City. Kruger spent some time working for Conde Nast Publications as a graphic designer for their Mademoiselle magazine. She was even promoted to being the head designer at Mademoiselle magazine when she was only 22 years old.

Supreme

I’m sure a lot of us familiar with the super popular fashion brand Supreme. The brand has become iconic through there box logo (they call “logo”). It works because it is so simple and it’s easy to read and it’s bright. Kruger has confronted the fashion streetwear brand for appropriating her style for it’s logo. I suppose “imitation is the a form of flattery”.

Work

A lot of Kruger’s work focuses on media and politics. She tells a story in a simple and direct statement. Kruger says she likes to use personal pronouns such as “you”, “I”, “we” because they “cut through the grease”. She recognizes that we are the change. If we want the system to change the action begins with us. She is still alive at 72 years old and she lives and works in New York and California. A lot of her artwork lives at the Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angelos County Museum of Art.

Visit this Barbara Kruger tribute website to view the rest of her notable works.