American Art | European Art | Egyptian, Etruscan and Greek Art | Asian Art | African, Pre-Columbian, Latin American and Oceanic Art | Photography | Samuel H. Kress Collection | Contemporary Posters
African, Pre-Columbian, Latin American and Oceanic Art at Vanderbilt
African Art | Pre-Columbian Sculpture & Applied Arts | Latin American Graphic Arts
Due in large part to the generosity of Marjorie and Leon Marlowe, Vanderbilt's holdings in African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian art have significantly increased in recent years. The relatively unfamiliar aesthetics of these cultures now join and complement those of the West and East Asia as represented in the collection. In contrast to the more well-known traditions of western art, works from these regions served a variety of key functions within a specific social structure, as exemplified by the twin cult statues from the Yoruba people of West Africa. Moreover, the objects convey the distinct ancestral artistic traditions that in some cases have endured with little variation over centuries in these civilizations. The expressive force and history of each artifact serve to challenge standard western notions of art's purpose, the artist-as-genius, and visual representation.
20th Century works from Latin America are also featured in the collection and are represented by such artists as Josë Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Oswaldo Guyasamin.
African Art
African Art | Pre-Columbian Sculpture & Applied Arts | Latin American Graphic Arts
[Click on images below to enlarge view]
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Anonymous,
African (Nigeria)
Ere Ibeji, carved male twin figure embellished with
cowrie shells, date unknown
Wood, shells
8 1/8" x 3 1/4" x 3 1/4"
Gift of Marjorie and Leon Marlowe
1994.352
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Anonymous,
African
Mbuya (initiation mask), date unknown
Wood and vegetable fiber
11" x 12 1/2" x 13"
Gift of Marjorie and Leon Marlowe
1994.518 |
Pre-Columbian Sculpture & Applied Arts
African Art | Pre-Columbian Sculpture & Applied Arts | Latin American Graphic Arts
[Click on images below to enlarge view]
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Anonymous
Western Panama & adjoining areas of Costa Rica
Eagle pendant
Pre-Columbian, ca. 600 B.C. –
1600 A.D
Gold
3 3/8" x 3 7/8"
Gift of Douglas P. and Cynthia A. Sandell, in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Erickson
2006.010 |
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Anonymous
Western Panama & adjoining areas of Costa Rica
Frog pendant
Pre-Columbian, ca. 600 B.C. –
1600 A.D
Gold
2 7/16" x 2 3/16"
Gift of Douglas P. and Cynthia A. Sandell, in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Erickson
2006.012 |
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Anonymous
Diquis Head Band, ca. 600 B.C. –
1500 A.D.
Gold
1 3/16" x 20 7/8"
Gift of Douglas P. and Cynthia A. Sandell, in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Erickson
2006.014 |
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Anonymous
Peruvian
Stirrup-spout vessel, depicting an old mountain god
Pre-Columbian, Intermediate Period (250–700 A.D.)
Ceramic
9 5/8" x 6" x 8 1/4"
Gift of Marjorie and Leon Marlowe
1994.507 |
Latin American Graphic Arts
African Art | Pre-Columbian Sculpture & Applied Arts | Latin American Graphic Arts
[Click on images below to enlarge view]
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José Clemente Orozco
Mexican (1883–1949)
Crusaders, 1945
Lithograph
19 1/2" x 14 1/2"
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Otto Billing
1969.075 |
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David Alfaro Siqueiros,
Mexican (1896–1974)
Illustration for Mexican Suite, date unknown
Lithograph
21 1/8" x 15 7/8"
Vanderbilt Art Association Acquisition Fund
1973.003 |
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Pablo Estaban O'Higgins
Mexican (1904–1983)
Los Ladrilleros (The Bricklayers), 1946
Lithograph
17 9/16" x 15 3/16"
Vanderbilt Art Association Acquisition Fund
1976.021 |
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Rufino Tamayo
Mexican (1899–1991)
Capítulo III de Apocalypse de St. Jean (Chapter III of the Apocalypse of St. John), 1959
Lithograph
13 5/8" x 20 3/4"
The Peabody College Collection, Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery
1979.0377P |
American Art | European Art | Egyptian, Etruscan and Greek Art | Asian Art | African, Pre-Columbian, Latin American and Oceanic Art | Photography | Samuel H. Kress Collection | Contemporary Posters |
