This limited edition deck of cards features Kehinde Wiley’s 2008 painting Morpheus, reimagined from the Jean-Antoine Houdon 1777 marble sculpture of the same name. Featured in the 2008 exhibition “Down” at Deitch Projects, the series references and re-conceptualizes classic pictorial forms of heroism in the face of death. Morpheus features a model from Brooklyn, lain across a white sheet while florals from the background spring into life around his body. Unlike its 18th century counterpart, he addresses onlookers with direct eye contact and a seductive look of invitation, with the repeating floral background protruding into the foreground.

52 playing cards, linen embossed finish

Net proceeds from your purchase support the artist in residence program Black Rock Sénégal, founded by Wiley in 2019

Launched in 2020 the Kehinde Wiley Shop began as a partnership between Kehinde Wiley and Black Rock Senegal to create limited-edition apparel and merchandise featuring a selection of the artist’s personal favorite compositions from his archive that would support Black Rock Senegal, the non-profit artist-in-residence program founded by Wiley in Dakar, Senegal in 2019. Conceived, curated, and created for those who desire art and color in their lives, this collection offers a new opportunity to engage with Wiley’s bold and beautiful paintings while supporting Black Rock’s Mission: to bring together artists, thinkers and innovators from around the world; to offer a platform for these artists to engage in cross-cultural and multidisciplinary creative processes; and to build new global discourses about Africa and the African-Diaspora.