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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Starting June 3
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

A Shadow of Life

1994

Thornton Dial

Associated Names

Thornton Dial

Artist, American, 1928 - 2016

The image displays swirling and looping lines crisscrossing and meandering across the paper creating an abstract composition. Darker loops and shapes resemble outlines of facial features or eyes. Bold, curved lines suggest flowing water or winding paths, enhancing the abstract nature of the piece with dynamic strokes and overlapping contours.

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Artwork overview

Medium

charcoal on wove paper
Credit Line

Gift of Auldlyn Higgins Williams and E.T. Williams, Jr. in honor of Dr. Kline Armond Price, Jr., Hugh Bernard Price and in memory of their parents Charlotte Schuster Price and Dr. Kline Armond Price, Sr.
Dimensions

sheet: 90.49 × 62.87 cm (35 5/8 × 24 3/4 in.)
Accession Number

2015.24.2

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Auldlyn Higgins Williams and E.T. Williams, Jr., NY; gift to NGA, 2015

Associated Names

Williams, E.T. Jr.

Exhibition History

2022

Called to Create: Black Artists of the American South, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2022-2023.

Inscriptions

lower right in charcoal: TD

Wikidata ID

Q64633323

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