Black marble, mounted on a stained wood base, 2005. 913x381x292 mm; 32x15x11½ inches (not including the base.) Incised "EC" initials, lower right side.
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; private collection, Mexico; private collection, Washington, DC, acquired from Swann Galleries, June 10, 2014.
Reclined Figure embodies Elizabeth Catlett's late sculptural work in a beautiful, highly polished black marble. Catlett consistently chose to represent African American figures while bringing out the inherent beauty of her sumptuous materials; Catlett stated "I like to finish sculpture to the maximum beauty attainable from the material from which it is created."
This sculpture is part of an impressive body of work in stone carving, one that spanned seven decades. Catlett first gained national attention as an artist with her stone carving Mother and Child, the centerpiece of her 1940 MFA thesis at the University of Iowa. Catlett wrote in her thesis, "stone imposes a certain discipline which cannot be ignored." Her work won First Award in Sculpture in the 1940 American Negro Exhibition in Chicago and James A. Porter included an image and description of Mother and Child in his 1943 Modern Negro Art.
Continuing her long career in stone carving into the 21st Century, Catlett's work transforms classical notions of the reclining figure into a representation of the strength and character of African American women. The proud pose and simplified forms of Reclined Figure convey a woman's character and confidence. Catlett's 1997 Stargazer, a similar black marble reclining figure, was the namesake of the 2011 exhibition Stargazers: Elizabeth Catlett in Conversation with 21 Contemporary Artists at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. In 2002, Catlett also made a bronze version in this same reclined pose titled Mahalia, referencing the legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.
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