Philadelphia-born artist and author Barbara Chase-Riboud was the first woman of color to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Architecture and Design. As an avid traveler, her trips to Egypt and China influenced works such as her well-known Malcolm X Steles. Her written work, including her novelizations of Sally Hemings, went on to become international best sellers.
Chase-Riboud’s sculptural work is centered around the idea of juxtaposing materials. She wanted to challenge the medium, calling for a “freedom from the tyranny of the base” as indicated in Black Dream Column where she replaced bases and pedestals with ropes or textiles combined with industrial steel.
Title: Black Dream Column
Artist: Barbara Chase-Riboud (b. 1939)
Date: 1976
Medium: painted steel
Dimensions:
Accession Number: H75.03
Title: Untitled
Artist: Barbara Chase-Riboud (b. 1939)
Date: 1973
Medium: charcoal, charcoal pencil, and ink with engraving and aquatint on heavy weight, wove, Canson paper
Dimensions: 40 ½ x 29 ¼ inches
Accession Number: H77.59.1
Disclaimer: This record is a work in progress. If you have additional information or spotted an error, please send feedback to Curatorial & Visitor Services.
Reproduction of the images contained on this page is not permitted without express permission. If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in the collections overseen by the New York State Office of General Services, or an image of an OGS publication or archival material, please contact Curatorial & Visitor Services.