100. The Art Guys, SUITS: The Clothes Make the Man

The Art Guys (Jack Massing and Michael Galbreth), SUITS: The Clothes Make the Man, 1997–1998. With Todd Oldham and Selven O’Keefe Jarmon. Two custom-tailored wool suits with advertising logos, with accessories including embroidered overcoats, belts, and shoes. Photograph by Mark Seliger.

On its surface, the SUITS project was about the ridiculousness of consumer culture, and was itself ridiculous: for a year, two artists traveled incessantly, all over the country, wearing bespoke suits embroidered with paid advertisements. In dozens of cities, The Art Guys met strangers in airports and on the street, eliciting bemused chuckles. Look at us. It’s ridiculous, this culture we inhabit. So let's laugh together at our own expense. Let's meet each other in goodwill and look each other in the eye. Because wonderful people are everywhere, and this wild American experiment is worth our attention, and our love.

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This post is part of MFAH 100, a series featuring works from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in honor of its 100th birthday. 100 words on 100 works in 100 days.