Head of Black Man

Artist Nicolai Fechin (Russian (active in the United States), 1881 - 1955)

Date1930

Mediumcarved pine (piñon or ponderosa)

Dimensions13 1/4 × 7 1/2 × 6 1/2 inches (33.7 × 19.1 × 16.5 cm)
Base: 1 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 inches (3.8 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm)

Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 1961

Object number21.3.1

ClassificationsSculptures

Label TextThroughout his career, Fechin depicted types of people as well as individuals. The variety of human features fascinated the artist. His biographer writes that when Fechin came to the United States from his native Russia, he saw African Americans for the first time. He immediately wanted to hire a model for a painting. In Taos, New Mexico, he painted Native Americans. Later in his life, he went to Mexico and to Bali seeking more subjects. In carving this work, he did not depict a specific person. He responded to the characteristics of the wood and found beauty there.

ProvenanceArtist; Alexandra Fechin [Alexandra Belkovitch, c. 1896-1983], Taos, New Mexico [1]; purchased September 26, 1961 by the Nelda C. and H.J. Luctcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art | 1. Nicolai and Alexandra were divorced in 1933.

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