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Artwork Page for Gamin

Details / Information for Gamin

Gamin

c. 1929
(American, 1892–1962)
America
hand-painted plaster
Overall: 44.5 x 24.2 x 20.4 cm (17 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 8 1/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2003.40
Location: 226B American Modern
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

A trailblazer, Savage was the first African American member of the National Association of Women Artists.

Description

Augusta Savage was the most acclaimed sculptor working during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ‘30s, and Gamin is her most famous work. It was long thought that the image was a generic figure; however, recent research reveals that it depicts her nephew. The warm characterization likely arises from the close bond shared between artist and model. Although several small versions of the sculpture were produced, this life-size, hand-painted plaster is unique, and likely the oldest surviving example of the subject.
A realistic, hand-painted plaster sculpture of a Black boy's head and top half of his torso. The sculpture looks bronze and the subject wears a flat cap and looks slightly to our left.

Gamin

c. 1929

Augusta Savage

(American, 1892–1962)
America

See Also

Videos

The Artist's Nephew

A Proud Portrait

The Artist, Augusta Savage

Why Does This Sculpture Have a French Title?

What is This Sculpture Made From?

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