William Burroughs

"Sloth says don't stick your neck out..."
1991

An image of a page with text that appears to be from a book or manuscript, featuring a traditional serif font. The text is written in English with a narrative style, discussing themes of sloth, corporate greed, and environmental degradation. The background of the page has a faded, ornate design that is most prominent at the bottom. The text and the design give the impression of an old, possibly historical document.

Not on view

Date
1991

Classification
Prints

Medium
Screenprint

Dimensions
Sheet: 45 × 31in. (114.3 × 78.7 cm)

Accession number
2005.120.3

Edition
62/90

Publication
Printed by Durham Press, Inc.; published by Lococo-Mulder

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Transfer, from the Frances Mulhall Achilles Library, Special Collections, Whitney Museum of American Art

Rights and reproductions
© artist or artist’s estate

API
artworks/38227

Part of a series:

The Seven Deadly Sins

14 works

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An image of a page with stylized, handwritten text that reads: "Gluttony of the Sweets, the Sugars, the Deadly Apples, melting in the mouth, transmuting teeth and gristle and bone into a toothsome sweetmeat. One taste, and the deadly process is activated: digestive juices reconcentrate and churn, eating the body away, leaving the pearly cream testicles, the crispy penis that yields with sweet reluctant delay and the quintessence of delight residing in the wire of the Adam's Apple dissolves to unseat the living brain, quivering like a great oyster, from the softened skull . . . oh! oh! La la la . . . slurp . . . bluh . . ." Below the text, there is a faint, intricate line drawing that appears to be an abstract or chaotic scene, difficult to discern in detail.

A close-up of a printed page with distorted and nonsensical text, featuring a variety of fonts and sizes, giving the impression of a corrupted or glitched document. The text is unreadable and seems to be randomly generated, with some words resembling English while others are completely fabricated. The background of the paper has a textured appearance, adding to the overall chaotic and disorganized aesthetic of the image.

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Abstract artwork featuring a dynamic interplay of purple and gold brush strokes with a textured appearance, creating a sense of movement and depth.

A faded image of a text passage with a purple tint, featuring a mix of legible and distorted English words, creating an eerie or mysterious atmosphere. Decorative symbols separate sections of the text, and the background has a subtle, chaotic pattern that resembles intertwined branches or veins.

William Burroughs
14 works in the collection

View artist

William Burroughs

"Sloth says don't stick your neck out..." 1991

William Burroughs 14 works in the collection

"Sloth says don't stick your neck out..."
1991

William Burroughs
14 works in the collection