How the West Was Won

The five woodblock prints in the Cantor’s newly acquired portfolio Cowboy Angels (2017), by renowned British artist Yinka Shonibare, are his first works to enter the museum’s collection. Each image of a dynamic American cowboy figure also features a collaged piece of Shonibare’s signature material, the colorful Dutch wax fabric traditionally created in Europe for export to Africa. The juxtaposition serves as a reminder of the enduring colonial myths of racial and cultural purity that continue to reinforce long-standing associations of the heroic cowboy with national identity and authenticity.