Frame: 28 x 18 inches.

Captivating in its graphic quality and sobering theme, this work by Sue Coe entitled ‘Journalist in Prison’ infuses powerful imagery with the illustrative approach the artist is renowned for. Speaking to political injustices, censorship, and human rights violations faced by media representatives throughout the world, Coe depicts a demoralized looking journalist, awkwardly hunched over and chained to the cracking wall behind her as a hostile guard glares through a hatch at her kneeling form. A newspaper coined ‘The Daily Truth’ reveals the narrative to the viewer, as Coe invokes a sense of outrage and compassion for the woman whose only crime was seeking the truth.

Sue Coe (b. 1951) is a British artist whose body of work consists mainly of drawing and printmaking. Having worked as an illustrator for both the New York Times and Time Magazine, Coe pursued dialogue on a number of issues including racial discrimination, political activism, and social injustices. Coe grew up in a town not far from a slaughterhouse, and as a result she began to champion the prevention of animal cruelty. She was featured on the cover of Art News in the 1980s and since then has been featured in a large number of exhibitions including the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY), Austin Museum of Art (Austin, TX), and the Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh, PA). Her work has been heavily influenced by a variety of artists including Francisco Goya, Chaim Soutine, and Jose Guadalipe Posada. Coe has been represented since 1989 by the Galerie St. Etienne in New York.

Select Public Collections:
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY)
Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, DC)
National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, DC)