Ubu Potentate, from Ubu in Africa

1997

Deborah Bell

Associated Names
Deborah Bell

Artist, South African, born 1957

Caversham Press

Publisher, founded 1985

The image shows the upper part of a person's body, focusing on the head and neck with a side profile view. The head is slightly tilted upwards. The facial features are abstractly rendered, emphasizing the eyes, nose, and minimal lip outline using black lines and shading, with red shading on the forehead and cheek area. The hair is not detailed. The clothing is abstractly depicted, with lines on the lower neck and a geometric shape resembling a shoulder pad on the top right edge. There are no visible jewelry or objects, and the background is predominantly white with faint abstract markings and shading.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    drypoint, aquatint, and roulette with chine collé on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Thomas G. Klarner

  • Dimensions

    image: 49.2 x 34.1 cm (19 3/8 x 13 7/16 in.)
    sheet: 49.2 x 34.1 cm (19 3/8 x 13 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2005.64.1.16

Associated Artworks

See all 24 artworks
The image displays a mixture of sharp and curved lines depicting an abstract humanoid figure under a showerhead with water flowing down. The scene is labeled "ACT 1 scene 1" in text at the top left corner. An abstract bird and a bowl are also present in the composition.

Act II, Scene 1, from Ubu Tells the Truth

William Kentridge, Caversham Press

1996

This is a photograph of a textual design. The image features the words "UBU centenaire" written in red ink towards the top center. Below, the text reads "Histoire d'un farceur criminel" in blue font. The design is set against an off-white background.

UBU: ± 101

William Kentridge, Robert Hodgins, Deborah Bell, Caversham Press

1997

The image shows a series of sweeping lines forming abstract shapes. One large, cone-like shape curves across the scene, connecting to a figure of a distorted human bending backward. In the background, a bicycle's outline and a bottle are visible among the abstract forms. The words "ACT I Scene 2" are inscribed in the upper left corner.

Act I, Scene 2, from Ubu Tells the Truth

William Kentridge, Caversham Press

1996

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Robert Brown Gallery, Arlington, October 5, 2000); purchased by Tom Klarner, Washington, DC, 2001; gift to NGA, 2005.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1997

  • Doepel, Rory. UBU: ± 101: William Kentridge, Robert Hodgins, Deborah Bell. Johannesburg, 1997: fig. 28, page 34.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: BELL 14/50; bottom center in plate: UBU POTENTATE; lower left above shoulder in plate: UBU DESPOT

Watermarks

FABRIANO

Wikidata ID

Q76338234

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