Moon Masque

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Loïs Mailou Jones, born Boston, MA 1905-died Washington, DC 1998
Exhibition Label
At the center of Moon Masque is a papier-mâché replica of a heart-shaped white Kwele mask from Zaire surrounded by masklike profiles and designs drawn from Ethiopian textiles. Though stylized, the faces resemble actual individuals whose profiles are juxtaposed with tears falling from the eyes of the mask. It is tempting to speculate that the mask, representing heritage and tradition, weeps for the situation of contemporary African peoples.
African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist
1971
Object number
2006.24.5
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting-Mixed Media
Medium
oil and collage on canvas
Dimensions
41 x 30 1/8 in. (104.1 x 76.4 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Abstract
Landscape\celestial\moon
Ethnic\African
Dress\costume\mask
Record ID
saam_2006.24.5
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk79025a4ae-fb64-48e5-8b2c-adf85f01e7cc
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