Untitled (Woman and Child)

Object Details

Luce Center Label

In Selma Burke's Untitled (Woman and Child) the figures appear to materialize out of the wood, and the woman's arm and child's back merge to represent the closeness of their bond. Burke followed an African practice of selecting carving materials for their symbolic value, and chose to sculpt this scene in red oak, which embodies the strength of the figures' relationship.

Luce Object Quote

"Art didn't start black or white, it just started. There have been too many labels in this world: . . . Negro, Colored, Black, African-American . . . Why do we still label people with everything except 'children of God'?" Selma Burke, quoted in Schwalb, "Without Color," ARTnews, September 1994

Date

ca. 1950

Artist

Selma Burke, born Mooresville, NC 1900-died New Hope, PA 1995

Topic

Figure group\female and child

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Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection

Department

Painting and Sculpture

Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John A. Sakal and Terry L. Bengel in honor of Dr. Paul Albert Chew, Founding Director of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Data Source

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Object number

2004.20

Type

Sculpture

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Medium

painted red oak

Dimensions

overall: 47 1/8 x 12 3/4 x 11 3/4 in. (119.6 x 32.3 x 29.8 cm)

Record ID

saam_2004.20

Metadata Usage

Not determined

GUID

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk749d4d9d5-905b-448e-8748-9311d559efb5