L'Abbatoire No. 1 (Slaughterhouse No. 1)

1949

Eldzier Cortor

Associated Names
Eldzier Cortor

Artist, American, 1916 - 2015

This print displays swirling shapes and intersecting lines in bright colors. The background is bright red, and the shapes contain shades of blue, purple, and bright pink. Many of the shapes are similar to leaves or petals, while some shapes suggest the heads or bodies of animals. On the right, there is a section of what might be white smoke or wool. At the top and by the bottom right corner, there are long ropes and chains that end in hooks, crisscrossing the scene.
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Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

Article:  Eldzier Cortor Takes Us Inside the Slaughterhouse

Through his surrealist woodcut, Cortor considers the relationship between humans and animals and tells the stories of Black bodies.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Reba and Dave Williams, Greenwich, Connecticut; acquired 2008 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: L'Abbatoire I; lower center in graphite: 4/50; lower right in graphite: Eldzier Cortor

Markings

stamped lower center in red ink: Cor / tor; stamped lower center in red ink: [Japanese character for tall or high]

Wikidata ID

Q76440191

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