Michael
Artist
William Ellisworth Artis
American, 1914–1977
Datemid-to-late 1940s
MediumTerracotta
Dimensions10 1/4 x 6 x 8 in. (26.0 x 15.2 x 20.3 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina State Art Society (Robert F. Phifer Bequest)
Object numberG.73.7.1
On View
On viewPublished References42nd Arts Festival: Paintings by Ellis Wilson, Ceramics and Sculpture by William E. Artis (exhibition catalogue) (Nashville: Fisk University, 1971), no. 13 (as Head of a Young Man, dated 1949), illus. cover.
"Biennial Report: Acquisitions," North Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 12, nos. 1 and 2 (December 1973), listed and illus.(b-w) 73.
Heralds of Light: Artis, Bearden, and Burke (exhibition catalogue) (Durham: North Carolina Central University, 1977), no. 5.
N. E. Pendergraft, “Tracing the Rise of Afro-American Art in North Carolina,” in Art Voices / South vol. 1, no. 2 (March / April 1978), briefly discussed 75, mentioned 76, illus. (b-w) 75.
Ralph M. Hudson, Black Artists/South (exhibition catalogue) (Huntsville, AL: Huntsville Museum of Art, 1979), no. 13, illus. (b-w).
Gene Thornton, "The best of two worlds in Raleigh," Raleigh: News and Observer (February 12, 1989), 3E.
Gary A. Reynolds and Beryl J. Wright, Against the Odds: African-American Artists and the Harmon Foundation (exhibition catalogue) (Newark: The Newark Museum, 1989), no. 8, illus. (color) pl. 7.
Craft in the Machine Age, 1920-1945, Janet Kardon, ed. (exhibition catalogue) (New York: American Craft Museum, 1995), listed 285, illus. (b-w) 187.
Theresa Leininger-Miller, "William Ellisworth Artis," St. James Guide to Black Artists (Detroit: St. James Press, 1997), 22.
Chella McCants, "As I See It," North Carolina Museum of Art Preview and Calendar of Events (January/February 2000), 29, illus. (b-w).
Language and Literature, illus. (two views, b-w) 380. [incomplete citation]
Exhibition HistoryNashville, TN, Fisk University, Carl Van Vechten Gallery of Fine Arts, "42nd Arts Festival: Paintings by Ellis Wilson, Ceramics and Sculpture by William E. Artis," April 18-June 2, 1971, no. 13 (as Head of a Young Man, dated 1949), illus. cover.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, Mary Duke Biddle Gallery for the Blind, "William E. Artis," March 25-May 22, 1973.
Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, "Two Centuries of Black American Art," September 30-November 21, 1976; Atlanta, GA, High Museum of Art, December 28, 1976-February 20, 1977; Dallas, TX, Dallas Museum of Art, March 29-May 22, 1977; Brooklyn, NY, Brooklyn Museum of Art, June 28-September 5, 1977, no. 182.
Durham, NC, North Carolina Central University Museum of Art, "Heralds of Light: Artis, Bearden, and Burke," November 4-30, 1977, no. 5.
Huntsville, AL, Huntsville Museum of Art, "Black Artists/South," April 1-July 29, 1979, no. 13, illus. (b-w)
Raleigh, NC, Municipal Building, "Collected Afro-American Art: 20th Century Afro-American Art Gleaned from Raleigh Collections," January 9-March 30, 1989.
Newark, NJ, The Newark Museum, "Against the Odds: African-American Artists and the Harmon Foundation," January 15-April 15, 1990; Charleston, SC, Gibbes Museum of Art, May 7-July 9, 1990; Chicago, IL, The Chicago Public Library Cultural Center, July 28-September 29, 1990, no. 8, illus. (color) pl. 7.
New York, NY, American Craft Museum, "Craft in the Machine Age 1920-1945," October 19, 1995-February 25, 1996; Fort Wayne, IN, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, September 7-November 3, 1996; Akron, OH, Akron Art Museum, January 25-March 30, 1997; Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee Art Museum, June 15-August 15, 1997; Gainesville, FL, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, September 28-November 30, 1997, illus. (b-w) 147.
Wilmington, NC, Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum, to be displayed with the permanent collection as part of the inaugural exhibition, April 21, 2002 – March 30, 2003.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “To Be Young: Coming of Age in the Contemporary,” April 3, 2021–February 6, 2022.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–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.
