On View
First Floor, 1 050
Created by
Catlett, Elizabeth, Mexican and American, 1915 - 2012
Date
2003
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
Overall with Weight: 56 × 22 × 23 in., 460 lb. (142.2 × 55.9 × 58.4 cm, 208.7 kg)
Caption
This sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett, Offering Life, was commissioned by the CarrAmerica Realty Corp. for Terrell Place, an office building in Washington, DC. The building was located on the site of the former Hecht’s Department Store. When the building was renovated in 2004, it was renamed Terrell Place, in commemoration of Mary Church Terrell’s leadership role in the fight to desegregate the store and other public buildings in Washington, D.C. Two other sculptures, Offering Education and Rejecting Injustice were also commissioned from Catlett for the space. The impetus behind the commission was to have artwork in the building’s public space that reflected its history as it intersected with the struggle for equality and civil rights. Each of the three bronze sculptures reflect Catlett’s long-standing interest in African American dignity, struggle, motherhood, and uplift. They all embody her slightly abstracted signature figural style.
Description
This large bronze sculpture is in the slightly abstract form of a seated woman holding a child upon her lap. The figure is seated upright with the child upright on her lap. Her right hand holds the child's waist and her left hand rests on her thigh. Her knees and feet are slightly apart and placed squarely on the ground. She gazes straight ahead.
Place used
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Visual Arts
Type
bronzes
sculptures
Topic
Art
Motherhood
Women
Credit Line
Gift from the Unit Owners Association of the Offices at Terrell Place, a Condominium, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC and AARP. Conservation for these sculptures received Federal support from the Collections Care Initiative Fund, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative and the National Collections Program.
Object number
2016.88.2
Restrictions & Rights
© 2020 Catlett Mora Family Trust/Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd50f9e6068-06af-492c-9b17-e32568d1ed09

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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