El Anatsui's Monumental 'Palettes of Ambition' Transforms Waste into Tapestry at Carnegie Museum of Art
At the entrance of the Carnegie Museum of Art, visitors can now view 'Palettes of Ambition,' a monumental wall sculpture by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui. Spanning ten metres in length and five metres in height, this piece marks the museum's most important acquisition in the last fifty years. Crafted from thousands of repurposed aluminium bottle caps and other waste, the installation delves into themes of consumption, colonialism, and global connections. It draws inspiration from Ghanaian kente cloth and European tapestries, using discarded materials to question luxury. The title speaks to ambition and societal frameworks, while 'Palettes of Ambition' reinterprets Anatsui's 2018 creation, 'Three Angles,' reflecting Pittsburgh's industrial heritage and highlighting the beauty in overlooked resources.
Key facts
- El Anatsui created 'Palettes of Ambition', a monumental wall-hung sculpture measuring 10m long and 5m high
- The artwork is composed of thousands of discarded aluminium bottle caps, metal seals, and other materials stitched with copper wire
- It is Carnegie Museum of Art's most meaningful single art acquisition in the last 50 years
- The work is installed at the museum's front entrance in the Scaife Lobby in Pittsburgh
- 'Palettes of Ambition' is a reincarnation of Anatsui's 2018 work 'Three Angles' from the 57th Carnegie International
- Anatsui spent five years re-piecing parts of 'Three Angles' into this new work after dismantling
- The artwork references both Ghanaian kente cloth (traditionally made by Asante and Ewe peoples) and European tapestries
- The materials resonate with Pittsburgh's industrial history as the 'Steel City' that produced steel and metals for America's economic growth
Entities
Artists
- El Anatsui
Institutions
- Carnegie Museum of Art
- Carnegie International
- Knepper Press
Locations
- Pittsburgh
- United States
- Ghana