The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Nefertiti

Nefertiti

1973
(American, 1922–2015)
America, 20th century
charcoal and lithographic crayon on paper
Sheet: 45.7 x 61 cm (18 x 24 in.)
Gift of the Print Club of Cleveland in honor of Elizabeth Shearer 2018.300
© Estate of John Woodrow Wilson / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The sitter in this drawing went on to become an artist herself.

Description

This drawing depicts Nefertiti, a friend of artist John Wilson’s daughter. He created a series of portraits of young women during the 1970s, presenting them on a large scale and from a close-up perspective that countered the marginalization of Black Americans in society. Here, Wilson drew with a waxy lithographic crayon to boldly outline Nefertiti’s face, emphasizing her determined but wary expression.
  • Estate of John Wilson [1922-2015], Boston, MA
    Center Street Studio, Milton, MA
    December 3, 2018
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Wilson, John, and Joseph Norman. Dialogue, John Wilson/Joseph Norman. Boston: Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1995. p. 139, no. 43, ill. p. 83
    Peters, Emily and Salsbury, Britany. “Acquisitions 2018: Prints and Drawings.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 59, no. 2 (March/April 2019): 20-23. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 21.
  • New Narratives: Contemporary Works on Paper. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 19, 2023-April 14, 2024).
  • {{cite web|title=Nefertiti|url=false|author=John Wilson|year=1973|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.300