Mango Mango

"Mango Mango", Red Grooms, 1973

Mango Mango by Red Grooms is an image of desire and danger. The two figures, recognized as male and female by their clothing, are locked in intimate embrace. The narrative raises many questions: is the woman’s state of (un)dress a prelude to sex or the aftermath of the act? The missing strap of the woman’s dress is a direct allusion to Madame X by John Singer Sargent. The portrait scandalized viewers at the 1884 Paris Salon and left them asking the same questions that Grooms reiterates in Mango Mango. The desire in the print is obvious, but could be voyeuristic or predatory. The woman is in a vulnerable position, literally swept off her feet by the man with her eyes closed. The desire could be mutual, but it could also be more one-sided. Mango Mango is an image full of contrasts between desire and danger.