In 1962 in Carlstadt, New Jersey, an employee of the Pantone Printing Company by the name of Lawrence Herbert, used his chemistry knowledge to organize the company’s stock of pigments and production inks. He soon purchased the company’s technological assets from his employers, organized them even more, and renamed them as Pantone. In 2012, French artist Peter David photographed forty Brazilian males in hopes of categorizing the human Pantone.
Since its creation, the Pantone color chart has been the official dictionary of color. Artists, designers, painters and Decoration have used Pantone colors to PRECISELY pair to create a desired visual aesthetic. Artist Pierre David has redesigned the Pantone with a different shade of coloring, the varied beauty of human skin tones. David’s work was shown in Brazil, showcasing the range of beautiful colors of the proud people of the South American nation.
The models’ skin is the basis of this color chart, reducing the interest or issue or race. “I like or I do not like your color, this question is it harmless? And how the stories, that of slavery in Brazil and colonization in France they have responded to this question?”
The work is currently being shown at the Museum of Modern Art, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.
Steven Holl for VCU
In Conversation with Marilyn Minter
