No Woman, No Cry No Woman, No Cry by Chris Ofili

The teardrops in this tender painting contain collaged pictures of the London teenager, Stephen Lawrence, victim of a racist murder in 1993. Ofili was deeply moved by Doreen Lawrence’s dignity throughout the public enquiry into her son’s death, which exposed the mishandling of the investigation and the institutional racism of the Metropolitan Police. The words ‘R.I.P. Stephen Lawrence’ are just discernible beneath the layers of paint, and made more visible with the absence of light. Despite these specific references, Ofili also intended the painting to be read in more general terms, as a universal portrayal of melancholy and grief. Purchased 1999.