Fears: The Big Bad Wolf

In his transformation of familiar images to give them new social meanings and implications, Colescott became a pioneer of the re-emergence of figurative art in the Bay Area in the 1970s. His hard-hitting works, characterised by their brutal, cartoon-like style and saturated colours, have sparked controversy for their transgressive views of race and gender. Inspired by his own experiences as an African American artist, Colescott denounced racism, sexism, and consumerism in the middle class, frequently using the very stereotypes that he sought to subvert.

The piece Fears: the Big Bad Wolf  (1973) explores the taboo of mixed-race relations and the balance of powers between the sexes. In a setting reminiscent of a Disney production, a small, hyper-sexualised Little Red Riding Hood is assaulted by the Big Bad Wolf. In the background, a blond, virile lumberjack rushes in to save the day. Colescott offers a lucid, satirical take on the male behaviour of his time, using parody to deconstruct the stereotype of the dark, dangerous figure that black men represent to white women, a deeply rooted anxiety in American culture. The artist injects a glaring satire into imagery borrowed from childhood fairy tales and comic strips, thus offering a severe critique of the society that generates them.

The Pinault Collection first showed this work in 2023 at the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes, as part of the exhibition Forever Sixties.