Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Serena |
Object Name |
Sculpture |
Other Name |
Art |
Accession Number |
1985.239 |
Date |
ca. 1940 |
Artist |
Barthé, Richmond |
Material |
Cast Concrete |
Dimensions |
H-42 W-12 inches |
Credit line |
Fallingwater, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy |
Notes |
Rose McClendon (1884-1936) was among the leading African American actresses on Broadway in the 1920s, known for the 1927 play Porgy that would inspire the musical Porgy and Bess eight years later. Captured in a contemplative, almost prayer-like pose by Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé (1901-1989), Serena (ca. 1940) was named for the role McClendon played in Porgy and exemplified Barthé as an artist approaching art-making as a spiritual endeavor. Located on the stepped canopy at Fallingwater. |