This watercolor by Russian artist Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev entered the Mead’s collection in 2001 from the personal collection of Thomas P. Whitney, Amherst College class of 1937. It is one of six objects in the Mead’s collection by Kustodiev.
This post will be my last MMM of the year, with possibly more to come in the new year. I hope you’ve enjoyed these highlights from the collection!
image source: Russian Village Beauty
This photograph by American photographer Burk Uzzle is another favorite of mine from the collection. You can see more Burk Uzzle photographs from the collection here, and read more about the fascinating artist behind the photograph here. Visit Burk Uzzle’s website to see more of his photography here.
Image source: Untitled (woman waving on bicycle with Christmas bows in hair)
This beautifully carved wooden sculpture by Nigerian artist Felix Idubor was completed in 1960 and gifted to the Mead in 2002.
The Mead’s collection of African art includes more than 300 objects made in the twentieth century, including carved rubbing implements and beaded accessories used by diviners; more than forty small, carved figures (ibeji) of Yoruba effigy pairs of deceased twins; and nearly 100 textiles featuring woven raffia skirts of the Kuba and indigo-dyed cotton (adire) cloth and performance garments of the Yoruba peoples.
The following objects from the collection illustrate some of these examples and were either given, bequeathed, or purchased for the Mead. My favorite is #5, Comb. You can see more African art objects by visiting the Mead’s Collections Database, Keyword Search “African.”
Mead Musings 