School of the Art Institute of Chicago, South Side Community Art Center
Alma mater
Howard University, University of Iowa
Occupation(s)
Sculptor, art teacher, graphic artist
Employer(s)
Taller de Gráfica Popular, Faculty of Arts and Design
Works
Students Aspire
Spouse(s)
Charles Wilbert White (m. 1941–1946; divorced) Francisco Mora (painter) (m. 1947–2002; his death)
Children
3, including Juan Mora Catlett
Website
www.elizabethcatlettart.com
Elizabeth Catlett, born as Alice Elizabeth Catlett, also known as Elizabeth Catlett Mora (April 15, 1915[1] – April 2, 2012)[3][4] was an American and Mexican sculptor and graphic artist best known for her depictions of the Black-American experience in the 20th century, which often focused on the female experience. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., to parents working in education, and was the grandchild of formerly enslaved people. It was difficult for a black woman at this time to pursue a career as a working artist. Catlett devoted much of her career to teaching. However, a fellowship awarded to her in 1946 allowed her to travel to Mexico City, where she settled and worked with the Taller de Gráfica Popular for twenty years and became head of the sculpture department for the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas. In the 1950s, her main means of artistic expression shifted from print to sculpture, though she never gave up the former.[citation needed]
Her work is a mixture of abstract and figurative in the Modernist tradition, with influence from African and Mexican art traditions. Catlett's work can be described as social realism, because of her dedication to the issues and experiences of African Americans.[5] According to the artist, the main purpose of her work is to convey social messages rather than pure aesthetics. Her work is heavily studied by art students looking to depict race, gender and class issues. During her lifetime, Catlett received many awards and recognitions, including membership in the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana, the Art Institute of Chicago Legends and Legacy Award, honorary doctorates from Pace University and Carnegie Mellon, and the International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement Award in contemporary sculpture.[citation needed]
^ abRosenberg, Karen (April 3, 2012). "Elizabeth Catlett, Sculptor With Eye on Social Issues, Is Dead at 96". New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
^Boucher, Brian (April 3, 2012). "Elizabeth Catlett, 1915–2012". Art in America magazine. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
^Mujeres del Salón de la Plástica Mexicana. Vol. 1. Mexico City: CONACULTA/INBA. 2014. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-607-605-255-6.
^"Conversation: The Life, Work and Legacy of Elizabeth Catlett, 1915-2012". PBS NewsHour. April 5, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
^Bateman, Anita (April 2016). "Narrative and Seriality in Elizabeth Catlett's Prints". Journal of Black Studies. 47 (3): 258. doi:10.1177/0021934715623780. S2CID 146427495.
w/SIRIUS QUARTET ( Newvelle Records - Vinyl only) Quiet Pride - The ElizabethCatlett Project ( Motéma Music ) Hues of a Different Blue (Motéma) Out Front...
Francisco Mora Catlett. Her paternal grandparents were Mexican muralist Francisco Mora and sculptor, painter, and printmaker ElizabethCatlett. She is the...
Sojourner, a Mexican limestone statue of Sojourner Truth by sculptor ElizabethCatlett, was unveiled in Sacramento, California on the corner of K and 13th...
of Mexico. Mora Catlett grew up in an artistic family; his father Francisco Mora was a Mexican muralists, his mother ElizabethCatlett was an African-American...
African-American art, centering on the work of Romare Bearden and ElizabethCatlett. A selection of 46 works from the collection was featured in a touring...
including works by Sligh, Ringgold, Emma Amos, Beverly Buchanan, ElizabethCatlett, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Howardena Pindell, Adrian Piper, Joyce Scott...
Students Aspire is a public artwork by American artist ElizabethCatlett, located at 2300 6th Street NW on the Howard University campus in Washington...
sculpture titled "Invisible Man: A Memorial to Ralph Ellison" by ElizabethCatlett, was unveiled at Riverside Park at 150th Street in Manhattan, opposite...
Castrejón Antonio Castro López Fernando Castro Pacheco Vita Castro ElizabethCatlett Alberto Cavazos Guillermo Ceniceros Pedro Cervantes Enrique Climent...
he supervised mural painting projects, mentored students including ElizabethCatlett, produced a variety of his own works, and became a key part of the...
Earl Hines and Mahalia Jackson and artists William Edouard Scott, ElizabethCatlett, Katherine Dunham, Charles Wilbert White, Margaret Burroughs, Charles...
dozens of paintings and sculptures by African-American artists like ElizabethCatlett and John T. Biggers, as well as hire local musicians to play in her...
Castrejón Antonio Castro López Fernando Castro Pacheco Vita Castro ElizabethCatlett Alberto Cavazos Guillermo Ceniceros Pedro Cervantes Enrique Climent...
and politician, 1st Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 1994) 1915 – ElizabethCatlett, African-American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2012) 1916 – Alfred...
artists from all around the world including African American printmaker ElizabethCatlett, whose woodcut prints later influenced the art of social movements...
the most significant artists of the twentieth century". Art historian Elizabeth Bakewell, has stated that Kahlo is "one of Mexico's most important twentieth-century...
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