Environment

Eldzier Cortor (American, 1916–2015)

1947

Medium/Technique Oil on board

Dimensions 68.6 x 40.6 cm (27 x 16 in.)

Credit Line The John Axelrod Collection—Frank B. Bemis Fund, Charles H. Bayley Fund, and The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection

Accession Number2011.1822

NOT ON VIEW

CollectionsAmericas

ClassificationsPaintings

African American women were among Cortor’s most important subjects, and he gave them the grace and lyricism he discovered in his study of African sculpture at the Field Museum in Chicago. Cortor’s painted rooftop setting extends into the viewer’s space through his use of compressed perspective and his thick manipulation of paint into a three-dimensional relief.

ProvenanceJohn Rosenwald, CA; Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York; Bernard King, NJ; by January 1999, with Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York; January 1999, sold by Michael Rosenfeld Gallery to John Axelrod, Boston; 2011, sold by Axelrod to the MFA. (Accession date: June 22, 2011)