The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 22, 2025
Sharecropper
1952
(American, 1915–2012)
Image: 45 x 42.5 cm (17 11/16 x 16 3/4 in.); Sheet: 76.2 x 56.5 cm (30 x 22 1/4 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1996.289
© Catlett Mora Family Trust / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
Elizabeth Catlett asserted that in her artworks, she hoped to "present black people in their beauty and dignity for ourselves and others to understand and enjoy.”Description
Proud of her heritage—three of her grandparents had been slaves—the artist Elizabeth Catlett devoted her career to exposing persecution and commemorating the courage, endurance, and achievements of African American women. The sharecropper's worn but proud face is framed by a large straw hat, her jacket fastened by a safety pin. She embodies the suffering and strength of Black women. The angularity of her features derives from West African masks, an influence Catlett purposefully evoked.- Benay, Erin. "From Prints to Power: Karamu House and the Black Art Market in Cleveland, 1960-1980." In Karamu Artists Inc.: Printmaking, Race, and Community, Britany Salsbury and Erin Benay, 102-117. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2025. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 106-107, fig. 34
- The Cleveland Museum of Art (1/26/2014 - 5/18/2014); "Our Stories: African American Prints and Drawings"
- {{cite web|title=Sharecropper|url=false|author=Elizabeth Catlett|year=1952|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1996.289