Head of a Dancer
Throughout his career, Richmond Barthé was interested in the movement and stance of the body. He studied the Martha Graham technique of dance in an effort to more fully understand the impact of gestures and pose while creating his sculptures. After completing his studies at the Art Institute of Chicago, Barthé moved to Harlem where he initially began his career as a painter. He soon transitioned into sculpture with the hope of transforming the three-dimensional aspects of his painted works. Inspired by a long-standing interest in Greek and Roman art and mythology and living in Harlem as the Harlem Renaissnace unfolded, Barthé created sculpture that engaged and celebrated the beauty of the black male body. "Head of a Dancer" encapsulates this focus, presenting an elegant, grounded form.
The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art
One of the most important collections of African American visual art dating from the 18th century to the present, the collection includes 62 works from Edward Bannister, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Robert S. Duncanson, Richard Hunt, Jacob Lawrence and others. This collection forms the foundation of a multidisciplinary center for the study, understanding and appreciation of African American art and culture. Items from the collection have previously rotated in the Evans Center Gallery and through unique exhibitions such as the 2012 "Life's Link: A Fred Wilson Installation," and the 2017 travelling exhibition of Jacob Lawrence's work.