Josephine Baker

Textiles

1974

Robert Brady (American, 1928–1986; permanent resident of Mexico, from 1961)
Cuernavaca, Mexico

The entertainer and activist Josephine Baker, an American expatriate celebrated for her riveting and commanding dance performances, rose to fame in 1920s Paris. In this tapestry, her friend, the artist Robert Brady, depicts Baker in a dynamic pose, wearing her famous banana skirt (which she debuted in 1926). The juxtaposition of the black, dark blue, and white background with the brown of Baker’s lithe body and the yellow of her banana skirt dramatically captures the energy and iconoclasm of her vivid performances.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Textiles

Artist: Robert Emmet Brady
Title: Josephine Baker
Place: Mexico (Object made in:)
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.: Made 1974
Medium: Wool and cotton; tapestry weave
Inscriptions: Initialed: JB 25 RB 74
Dimensions: 199.7 × 121.3 cm (78 5/8 × 47 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John V. Farwell III
Reference Number: 1976.347

Else Regensteiner, Geometric Design in Weaving (West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1986) 102, pl. 6-11 (ill.).

Art Institute of Chicago, Agnes Allerton Gallery, Selected Textile Acquisitions Since 1973, Dec. 15, 1977–Mar. 26, 1978.
Art Institute of Chicago, Music and Movement: Rhythm in Textile Design, May 18, 2018-Jan 6, 2019.

Margaret W. and John V. Farwell, IL, Chicago, by Sept. 15, 1976 [Incoming permanent receipt RX10706; copy in curatorial object file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1976.

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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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.

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