George 8:46

David Huffman

2021

Acrylic, oil, spray paint, glitter, and kente cloth on wood panel

Minneapolis Institute of Art

An abstract painting features a repeating pattern of sphinx heads against a green background, overlaid with energetic brushstrokes in pink, brown, and gray. A blue and white striped chevron pattern is at the top, and text is visible at the bottom. David Huffman does not depict George Floyd directly, but the painting’s title refers to the unarmed Black man killed by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. Next to his first name, rendered partially upside-down and in mirror writing, one can read the duration of time, as initially reported, that the white officer kneeled on Mr. Floyd’s neck. “8:46” became a symbol to many in the weeks after George’s death, and a rallying cry in the worldwide protests. (Later reports would indicate that the actual time was more than nine minutes and twenty seconds.) The artist also included cues to Black culture in this painting: the parallel blue