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Requires Photography
Ibis redibis non morieris in bello
Claire Fontaine (French, founded in 2004)
2006
Medium/Technique
Neon, electronic programmer, cabling, framework, 9 lamp fittings with clear 60W light bulbs.
Dimensions
Dimensions variable, circular neon 47 inches (120 cm) in diameter
Credit Line
Gift of Marjory Jacobson
Accession Number2014.1905
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art
ClassificationsSculpture
Claire Fontaine’s neon sign installation cycles through nine words that spin a different “fate” each time. The Latin title quotes a prophecy attributed to the Sybil from Cuma in southern Italy. The phrase is ambiguous and can translate either as “You will go to war, you will come back, you will not die” or, with different emphasis and punctuation, “You will go to war, you will not come back, you will die.” The work emphasizes the random forces that govern meaning, and the uncertain destinies of soldiers away at war.
DescriptionEdition 3 of 5 + 2 AP
ProvenanceBy 2007, consigned by the artist to Reena Spaulings Fine Art, New York, NY; 2007, sold by Reena Spaulings Fine Art to Marjory Jacobson, Boston, MA; 2014, gift of Marjory Jacobson to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 10, 2014)