Object Details
Artist
Mariana Yampolsky, 1925 - May 2002
Sitter
Elizabeth Catlett, 15 Apr 1915 - 2 Apr 2012
Exhibition Label
Born Washington, D.C.
Black womanhood is a central theme in Elizabeth Catlett’s paintings, prints, and sculptures. Refused admission to an all-white art school, Catlett studied at Howard University with James Porter, among others, and later with Grant Wood at the University of Iowa. At Howard, Catlett learned of the socially conscious art of the Mexican muralists. This group influenced the direction of her work and introduced her to artistic traditions in Mexico, where she permanently relocated in 1946. She joined the print collective Taller de Gráfica Popular (Popular Graphic Art Workshop) and taught sculpture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Due to suspected communist ties, Catlett’s citizenship was revoked, and she was forbidden from entering the United States. Yet she continued making art attentive to Black experiences in the United States, remaining committed to the idea that “art is important only to the extent that it helps in the liberation of our people.”
Nacida en Washington D.C.
La mujer negra es un tema central en las pinturas, grabados y esculturas de Elizabeth Catlett. Habiendo sido rechazada por una escuela de arte para estudiantes blancos, Catlett estudió en la Universidad Howard con James Porter, entre otros, y luego con Grant Wood en la Universidad de Iowa. En Howard, Catlett conoció el arte social de los muralistas mexicanos. Este grupo influyó en la dirección que tomó su obra y le dio a conocer las tradiciones artísticas de México, donde se radicó permanentemente en 1946. Allí se unió al colectivo Taller de Gráfica Popular y enseñó escultura en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Debido a supuestos vínculos comunistas, a Catlett se le revocó su ciudadanía y se le prohibió la entrada a Estados Unidos. No obstante, siguió creando obras sensibles a la experiencia de los afroamericanos, fiel a la idea de que “el arte es importante solo en la medida en que contribuya a la liberación de nuestra gente”.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
c. 1949 (printed c. 1990)
Object number
S/NPG.91.74
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Mariana Yampolsky
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 21.9 x 22.3 cm (8 5/8 x 8 3/4")
Sheet: 27.8 x 35.4 cm (10 15/16 x 13 15/16")
Mat: 55.9 x 40.6 cm (22 x 16")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Architecture\Window
Artwork\Sculpture\Bust
Interior\Studio\Art
Elizabeth Catlett: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Artist
Elizabeth Catlett: Female
Elizabeth Catlett: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Artist\Sculptor
Elizabeth Catlett: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Artist\Printmaker
Elizabeth Catlett: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Professor
Elizabeth Catlett: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher
Elizabeth Catlett: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Art instructor
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_S_NPG.91.74