The Phillips Collects: Jeffrey Gibson

The Phillips Collection is proud to share recent acquisitions that demonstrate the museum’s efforts to enhance and diversify the collection. The Phillips has acquired its third work by Jeffrey Gibson, My heart beats for the one I love.

Jeffrey Gibson (b. 1972, Colorado Springs, Colorado) is a painter and sculptor whose work explores topics such as consumer and pop culture and queer histories. A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians with Cherokee descent, Gibson was the first indigenous artist to represent the United States in the Venice Biennale (2024). Throughout his practice, Gibson incorporates techniques and materials, such as raw hide and bead work, that deliberately reference his heritage.

My heart beats for the one I love was created for the Queer/Art Artist Edition, an annual neon sculpture commission aimed at celebrating queer producers. The work’s title is drawn from the 1981 song “Heartbeat” by disco/R&B singer Taana Gardner. The center of the piece is a drum and the rhythmic glowing heart that rests within it echoes a literal heartbeat. Gibson notes: “The release of this song coincided with the onset of the AIDS crisis and the loss of innumerable lives. The lyrics speak about loving, longing, and heartbreak… . I hope [the lyric] causes the viewer to think about someone, or a community, who they love and are loved by.” The work’s title is illuminated in the rainbow hues of the LGBTQ pride flag.

This piece joins two promised gifts of Gibson’s work, A Rare and Gentle Thing (2020), also titled from a pop song, and Fire (2020). My heart beats for the one I love is the second neon piece to enter the collection (following Martin Creed’s Everything is Going to be Alright), converses with other works with light elements in the collection (including Leo Villareal’s Scramble), and also complements works with similar compositions (such as Circle Dancing by Marilyn Lerner).