At the Dawn of a New Age: Early Twentieth-Century American Modernism

May 7, 2022–Feb 26, 2023

All

19 / 22

Previous Next

Born 1890 in Warwick, RI
Died 1960 in Providence, RI

Nancy Elizabeth Prophet created most of her work between 1923 and 1934 while living in France, where she was one of the first Black American sculptors to receive international acclaim. She carved Congolais after seeing African sculpture in Paris’s 1931 Colonial Exposition, an enormous display of the cultures and lifestyles in France’s territories meant to valorize the country’s imperialist exploits. She was likely drawn to the subject by her friend W. E. B. Du Bois, an author and sociologist who urged Black American artists to look to Africa to develop a distinctive cultural style. The sculpture’s title notwithstanding, the bust’s distinctive braided coiffure references Maasai warriors from parts of Kenya and Tanzania. By emphasizing the figure’s forehead and contemplative expression, Prophet imbued Congolais with a strong sense of spirituality but also of melancholy and longing.

A cherry wood bust of a male head with closed eyes and upturned lips.

Artists

Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

View 86 works

At the Dawn of a New Age: Early Twentieth-Century American Modernism

Nancy Prophet

19

Congolais, 1931

Artists

Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

On the Hour

At the Dawn of a New Age: Early Twentieth-Century American Modernism

Nancy Prophet

19

Congolais, 1931

Artists

Explore works from this exhibition in the Whitney's collection

Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection