Untitled Abstract Head

Artist Gwendolyn Knight American, 1913–2005

Date1946

MediumBronze

Dimensionsheight, width, and depth (sculpture): 7 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 3 1/4 in. (18.4 × 13.3 × 8.3 cm)
height, width, and depth (sculpture and base): 8 3/4 × 5 1/4 × 4 1/2 in. (22.2 × 13.3 × 11.4 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the William R. Roberson Jr. and Frances M. Roberson Endowed Fund for North Carolina Art

Object number2023.20.1

On View

On view

Label TextIn 1946 Barbados-born artist Gwen Knight and her husband, Jacob Lawrence, traveled from New York City to Black Mountain College by an invitation as part of efforts to incorporate African American culture and integration into the college’s program despite the segregated South.

Created at Black Mountain under Japanese American sculptor Leo Amino’s influence, Untitled Abstract Head reflects Knight’s engagement with Amino in the sculpture’s simplified form and the Harlem Renaissance in the work’s genuine reference to African masks and culture.
[J. Ledesma, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2024]ProvenanceCreated by the artist, 1946; Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence FoundationExhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection Reimagined," August 26, 2024-present. Object Rights Statement

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) makes images of its collection available online to support research and scholarship and to inform and educate the public. Certain works of art, as well as the photographs of those works of art, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not owned by the NCMA. The responsibility for ascertaining whether any such rights exist and for obtaining all other necessary permissions remains with the applicant. To request images and/or permissions from the NCMA, please complete our online request form.