We owe it to the Free world not to Allow Brutal Forces to succeed. When the Rule of law Breaks down, the World takes a further Step towards Chaos.
1981–1983, printed 2015
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 40.5 × 40.7 cm (15 15/16 × 16 in.) sheet: 60.8 × 50.5 cm (23 15/16 × 19 7/8 in.) mount: 60.8 × 50.5 cm (23 15/16 × 19 7/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund
Accession Number
2019.79.3
Art Historical Context
Karen Knorr's *We owe it to the world not to Allow Brut Forces to succeed. When the Rule of law Breaks, the World takes a Step towards Chaos* (1981–1983, printed 2015) a striking gelatin silver print that captures the political fervor of the early 1980s. Created the height of Cold War, when rhetoric about defending democracy against authoritarianism dominated global discourse, the work's bold title serves as both caption and manifesto. Knorr, a conceptual photographer known for blending imagery with provocative text, uses this piece to underscore the fragility of law and order in an era marked...