First Personage
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Object Label
Louise Nevelson emerged as an artist in the early 1940s, against criticism that she was neglecting the roles of wife and mother and biased skepticism about a female sculptor’s physical and intellectual strength. Nevelson’s totemic wood construction evokes the psychological tension between interior and exterior. As suggested by the sculpture’s title, the undulating frontal slab represents the controlled, outer persona, while the spiky column behind intimates a hidden, agitated, and chaotic self. First Personage features found, splintered, rough, and broken pieces of wood and is one of the first examples that the artist composed in what would become her iconic form.
Caption
Louise Nevelson American, born Ukraine, 1899–1988. First Personage, 1956. Painted wood, a: 94 × 37 1/16 × 11 1/4 in. (238.8 × 94.1 × 28.6 cm) b: 73 11/16 × 24 3/16 × 7 1/4 in. (187.2 × 61.4 × 18.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Berliawsky, 57.23a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 57.23a-b_PS11.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
First Personage
Date
1956
Medium
Painted wood
Classification
Dimensions
a: 94 × 37 1/16 × 11 1/4 in. (238.8 × 94.1 × 28.6 cm) b: 73 11/16 × 24 3/16 × 7 1/4 in. (187.2 × 61.4 × 18.4 cm)
Signatures
"NEVELSON" carved into the wood on the base of component b
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Berliawsky
Accession Number
57.23a-b
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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Frequent Art Questions
Tell me more.
This is such a fascinating piece; I love how it changes depending on where you are standing. This large, textured, black wooden sculpture is characteristic of Nevelson's work, especially in the 1950s.Nevelson is considered a pioneer as a woman artist, as a feminist artist, and as an abstract sculptor.In the mid-20th century, prominent abstract sculptors like Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Calder were working primarily in stone and metal. In contrast, Nevelson favored found materials, especially wood.
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