Children with Flowers, 1995

Children with Flowers depicts four children of different cultures nestled together behind a straw basket of exquisite flowers. The unique interweaving of the children's bodies, hands and flowers is a metaphor of unity and diversity of children today.

Elizabeth Catlett (b. 1915, Washington, D.C., d. 2012) graduated from Howard University (B.A.) where she studied under artists James Porter, Louise Mailou Jones, and Jacob Lawrence. She also attended the State University of Iowa (M.F.A.), the Art Students League of New York, and the Chicago Art Institute.

As a professor of sculpture at the University of Mexico, she strived to show the social struggles of people of color. She devoted her career to conscious art, beginning in the early 1940's with a number of sculptures depicting mother-and-child themes and then focusing increasingly on representations of African American women in both sculpture and prints.

Her work appeared in the Free Within Ourselves exhibition assembled by the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), and is owned by museums around the country, including the SAAM and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Ms. Catlett has taught at Prairie View College, Texas, Willard University, New Orleans, Jefferson and Carver School in New York and Hampton Institute in Virginia.

Special Information: 12-color lithograph, signed edition of 150 printed on French Arches Cover paper. Sold unframed. Comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Smithsonian.

Image Dimensions: 25 ¼ x 18 ¼ inches

Paper Dimensions: 32 ¾ x 23 ½ inches

Produced by: J. K. Fine Art Editions