Edmonia Lewis | |
|---|---|
"Wildfire" | |
 | |
| Born | Mary Edmonia Lewis July 4, 1844 Town of Greenbush, Rensselaer County, New York, US |
| Died | September 17, 1907 (aged 63) London, UK |
| Nationality | American, Mississauga |
| Education | New-York Central College, Oberlin |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Movement | Late Neoclassicism |
| Patron(s) | Numerous patrons, American and European |
Mary Edmonia Lewis, also known as "Wildfire" (c. July 4, 1844 – September 17, 1907), was an American sculptor.
Born in Upstate New York of mixed African-American and Native American (Mississauga Ojibwe) heritage, she worked for most of her career in Rome, Italy. She was the first African-American and Native American sculptor to achieve national and then international prominence.[1] She began to gain prominence in the United States during the Civil War; at the end of the 19th century, she remained the only Black woman artist who had participated in and been recognized to any extent by the American artistic mainstream.[2] In 2002, the scholar Molefi Kete Asante named Edmonia Lewis on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.[3]
Her work is known for incorporating themes relating to Black people and indigenous peoples of the Americas into Neoclassical-style sculpture.
- ^ Richardson, Marilyn (2003). "Lewis, (Mary) Edmonia". Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T050781. ISBN 978-1-884446-05-4. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Nelsonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books II. ISBN 1-57392-963-8.