Edmonia Lewis
American sculptor (1844–1907) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mary Edmonia Lewis, also known as "Wildfire" (c. July 4, 1844 – September 17, 1907), was an American sculptor.
Edmonia Lewis | |
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"Wildfire" | |
Born | Mary Edmonia Lewis July 4, 1844 Town of Greenbush, Rensselaer County, New York, US |
Died | September 17, 1907(1907-09-17) (aged 63) London, UK |
Nationality | American, Mississauga |
Education | New-York Central College, Oberlin |
Known for | Sculpture |
Movement | Late Neoclassicism |
Patron(s) | Numerous patrons, American and European |
Born in Upstate New York of mixed African-American and Native American (Mississauga Ojibwe) heritage, she worked for most of her career in Rome, Italy. She was the first African-American and Native American sculptor to achieve national and then international prominence.[1] She began to gain prominence in the United States during the Civil War; at the end of the 19th century, she remained the only Black woman artist who had participated in and been recognized to any extent by the American artistic mainstream.[2] In 2002, the scholar Molefi Kete Asante named Edmonia Lewis on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.[3]
Her work is known for incorporating themes relating to Black people and indigenous peoples of the Americas into Neoclassical-style sculpture.