Black Venus

c. 1957

Margaret Burroughs

Associated Names
Margaret Burroughs

Artist, American, 1915 - 2010

This print depicts abstract figures and shapes created by curving and wavy lines, all seeming to swirl around a central woman. Her skin is black, and her dark, curly hair is in an updo on top of her head, adorned with a thin headband. She is nude except for a thin cloth around her upper thighs and a necklace around her neck, and she holds the reins of two creatures that look like large fish which are at the bottom of the print, appearing to pull a large shell behind her. Surrounding her appear to be several cherubic figures flying in the air and holding large palm leaves. Some of them also hold small bows knocked with arrows. In the water on the bottom right seems to be a man seen from the waist up, with a white beard, a bare chest, and a pointed crown. He is holding a tall staff in one arm and looking towards the central woman. The background behind the scene is black, with details in white showcasing low waves, drops of water, and dark clouds overhead.

Media Options

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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Dave H. and Reba W. Williams, Greenwich, CT; gift to NGA, 2008

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2021

  • Afro-Atlantic Histories, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, 2021-2024 (shown only in Washington and Los Angeles), no repro.

Bibliography

2021

  • Pedrosa, Adriano, and Toledo, Tomàs, editors.Afro-Atlantic Histories. Exh. cat. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, 2021-2022.

Inscriptions

In scripted pencil: lower left, "Black Venus" (within quotes); lower center, 10/50; lower right, Margaret Burroughs; within the plate: lower right, M.B.

Wikidata ID

Q76440173

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