Elizabeth Catlett

(American, 1915–2012)

Elizabeth Catlett was an African-American artist who explored themes relating to race and feminism in her range of sculpture, paintings, and prints. Like her peer Norman Lewis, Catlett highlighted the struggle of black people with her art. Responding to segregation and the fight for civil rights, Catlett’s depictions of sharecroppers and activists showed the influence of Primitivism and Cubism. “I have always wanted my art to service my people—to reflect us, to relate to us, to stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential,” she once stated. Born Alice Elizabeth Catlett on April 15, 1915 in Washington, D.C., she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh—only to have the offer rescinded on the basis of her race. She then enrolled at Howard University and went on to study under Grant Wood at the University of Iowa, becoming the first African-American woman to graduate with an MFA from the school. In the 1940s, she traveled to Mexico on a fellowship and began to paint murals influenced by the work of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The Mexican muralist’s spirit of activism inspired Catlett to produce images of hardship by African-American women in the South, as depicted in Sharecropper (1952)—one of her most famous works. While she was in Mexico, she created a series of linocut prints featuring prominent black figures to promote literacy in the country. From 1975 until her death, she lived and worked between Cuernavaca, Mexico and New York, NY. Catlett died on April 2, 2012 in Cuernavaca, Mexico at the age of 96. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.

Elizabeth Catlett Artworks

Elizabeth Catlett (837 results)
Stepping Out, 1987

Elizabeth Catlett

Stepping Out, 1987

TAYLOR | GRAHAM

53,000–59,000 USD

Francisco, 2006

Elizabeth Catlett

Francisco, 2006

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Glory, printed: 2008

Elizabeth Catlett

Glory, printed: 2008

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

A Second Generation, 1992

Elizabeth Catlett

A Second Generation, 1992

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Playmates, 1992

Elizabeth Catlett

Playmates, 1992

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Black Girl, 2004

Elizabeth Catlett

Black Girl, 2004

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Blues, 1983

Elizabeth Catlett

Blues, 1983

Alpha 137 Gallery

Price on Request

Survivor, 1983

Elizabeth Catlett

Survivor, 1983

HEMPHILL

Price on Request

Singing Their Songs, 1992

Elizabeth Catlett

Singing Their Songs, 1992

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Glory, 1986

Elizabeth Catlett

Glory, 1986

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Keisha M., 2008

Elizabeth Catlett

Keisha M., 2008

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Links Together, 1996

Elizabeth Catlett

Links Together, 1996

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

The Family, 2002

Elizabeth Catlett

The Family, 2002

Bill Hodges Gallery

Price on Request

Paulina, 2009

Elizabeth Catlett

Paulina, 2009

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Bread, 1968

Elizabeth Catlett

Bread, 1968

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

New Generaiton, 1992

Elizabeth Catlett

New Generaiton, 1992

Mojo Portfolio

Price on Request

Star Gazer, 1997

Elizabeth Catlett

Star Gazer, 1997

HEMPHILL

Not for Sale

Celie, 1986

Elizabeth Catlett

Celie, 1986

Sragow Gallery

8,000 USD

Man, 1975

Elizabeth Catlett

Man, 1975

Sragow Gallery

3,500 USD

Rebozos , 1968

Elizabeth Catlett

Rebozos , 1968

Sragow Gallery

2,500 USD