Julie GreenThe Last Supper
About
The Last Supper is a long-running visual art and research project by artist Julie Green (they/them/theirs), illustrating the final meals requested by approximately one thousand people on death row in the United States. Green (1961-2021) began the series in 1999 after reading in a local Oklahoma paper about the final meal requested by a person awaiting execution. By the time of Green's death twenty-two years later, the artist had painted images of final meals on nearly one thousand secondhand ceramic plates with cobalt blue mineral paint and then refired them in a kiln. In late 2021, shortly before their death, Green placed The Last Supper in a trust to ensure the continued conservation and exhibition of the artwork.
Today, the artwork is part of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art collection and will be touring the country through a partnership with Art Bridges Foundation. Boise Art Museum is the first organization to showcase The Last Supper in its entirety. The work encourages viewers to consider the U.S. prison system and the way society thinks about the people within it. By linking us together through our basic need for food and the rituals associated with it, Green sparks a human connection and opens our hearts and minds to individuals who are often disregarded and forgotten.
Loan Duration
2 years
Loan period
Oct. 2028 - Oct. 2030
Total Artworks
1
Century
20th, 21st Century
lending Museum
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Facility Requirements
Artworks can be hung together or dispersed throughout the galleries.
Support
Art Bridges covers all costs to prepare and ship the artworks to the borrowing museums. The foundation encourages borrowing museums to apply for accompanying Learning & Engagement funding to support the activation and interpretation of Partner Loan Networks artworks. Learning & Engagement funding supports multidisciplinary programming, interpretive materials, and community outreach.