Kitchen Table Series

Carrie Mae Weems’s “The Kitchen Table Series” (1990) is among the most significant photographic achievements in contemporary art. In 20 photographs and 14 text panels, Weems features herself in carefully staged scenes around the same kitchen table, revealing intimate moments of everyday life such as laughing with friends, studying alongside her daughter, or having a drink with her next-door neighbor. “The battle around the family, the battle around monogamy, the battle around polygamy, the battle between the sexes is going to be played out in that space,” she explained. Photographs from “The Kitchen Table Series” can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, SFMoMA, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. In 2019, Untitled (man smoking) from “The Kitchen Table Series” set a new auction record for the artist, selling for $70,000 at Phillips.