Skip to Content
Today Open today 11–5

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Dunham

A sculpture comprises a featureless face made up of a mottled black and white substance, a short Afro hairstyle in a dark blue-green hue, and a slender dark neck from which a raffia skirt expands down to the top of the pedestal. Behind the sculpture, paneled glass windows look through to other buildings and a hint of green treetops.
© 2017 Simone Leigh

Image actions

  • A sculpture comprises a featureless face made up of a mottled black and white substance, a short Afro hairstyle in a dark blue-green hue, and a slender dark neck from which a raffia skirt expands down to the top of the pedestal. Behind the sculpture, paneled glass windows look through to other buildings and a hint of green treetops.

Date:

2017

Artist:

Simone Leigh
American, born 1967

About this artwork

Simone Leigh’s Dunham examines the relationship between the black female body and the home or dwelling by combining a ceramic bust of a woman with a dome-shaped raffia skirt. The work integrates references from vernacular architectural traditions from Africa, the Caribbean, and the American South into monuments of strength and self-determination. With its introspective gaze, the figure engages the idea of what a body or vessel can hold within itself, expressing the power of interiority.

The sculpture’s title gives tribute to Chicago’s cultural history and the pioneering black choreographer Katherine Dunham, whose dance practice introduced movement styles from Africa and the Caribbean into the Western vocabulary of modern dance. Leigh’s interdisciplinary approach anchors these references in the artist’s lived experience and anthropological research, creating a powerful symbol of black female resilience and regality.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Simone Leigh

Title

Dunham

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

2017

Medium

Terracotta, porcelain, raffia, steel, glass bead, epoxy, and India ink

Dimensions

88.9 × 76.2 × 76.2 cm (35 × 30 × 30 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Marilyn and Larry Fields; Claire and Gordon Prussian Fund for Contemporary Art

Reference Number

2019.891

Copyright

© 2017 Simone Leigh

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms