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Musician and Dancer

A work made of painted plaster.

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  • A work made of painted plaster.

Date:

c. 1939

Artist:

Augusta Savage (American, 1892–1962)

About this artwork

In this dynamic rendering of a musical partnership, Augusta Savage celebrated everyday people in her local community of Harlem. The two sculptures aesthetically respond to one another: the musician twists at the waist, throwing back his shoulders and head and lifting his wind instrument high in the air. The dancer likewise leans off his vertical axis, his arms bent close to the body, full of kinetic energy.

Savage was an influential sculptor, teacher, and intellectual leader. Determined from childhood to become an artist, she moved from Florida to New York in 1921 and studied at the Cooper Union. Two years later she won a scholarship to train in France—an offer later rescinded because she was black. Savage would go on to found her own school and also lead the Harlem Community Art Center.

Status

On View, Gallery 263

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Augusta Savage

Title

Musician and Dancer

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.

c. 1939

Medium

Painted plaster

Dimensions

Musician: 34.3 × 15.2 × 15.2 cm (13 1/2 × 6 × 6 in.); Dancer: 39.4 × 15.2 × 15.2 cm (15 1/2 × 6 × 6 in.)

Credit Line

Roger and J. Peter McCormick Endowment Fund

Reference Number

2021.29a-b

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.

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