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The Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters will be closed from 10:00am–1:00pm on December 6th, 7th, 13th, and 14th for public school programming. The site will be open to the public with guided tours from 1:00pm–4:15pm. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Telfair celebrates Richmond Barthé (1901–1989), one of the foremost sculptors of the 20th century. A passion for art carried Barthé from his youth on the Mississippi coast and in New Orleans to Chicago, where he discovered his genius for sculpture, and then to New York City. There he won fame in the 1930s among the chorus of artistic voices around the Harlem Renaissance, alongside painter Aaron Douglas, sculptor Augusta Savage, and poet Langston Hughes. To assert the dignity and humanity of his fellow African Americans, Barthé crafted bronze statues of dancers, workers, religious figures, and icons in Black history like singer Josephine Baker, actor Paul Robeson, and Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture. In works such as Feral Benga (1935) and Stevedore (1937), he boldly presented Black male bodies as strong and beautiful, challenging racial and gender taboos of the era. Today Barthé’s bronzes appear in many of America’s leading museum collections, and this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to admire two dozen of his most elegant and important creations.

Richmond Barthé: Harlem Renaissance Sculptor was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA, under the curatorial leadership of Dr. Samella Lewis (1923–2022).

Related to this exhibition

All(3)
Event

Richmond Barthé – PRIDE Week Curator’s Tour

October 17 at 4pm Jepson Center
Join Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator Alex Mann for an exhibition tour and discussion about how this Barthé’s artwork reflects deeply personal and poignant dreams and desires.
Event

Richmond Barthé Curator’s Tour

November 5 at 2pm Jepson Center
Tour the exhibition with Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator Alex Mann for a closer look at his favorite works and the stories behind them. Free with museum admission.
Event

Richmond Barthé – PRIDE Week Curator’s Tour

October 17 at 4pm Jepson Center
Join Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator Alex Mann for an exhibition tour and discussion about how this Barthé’s artwork reflects deeply personal and poignant dreams and desires.
Event

Richmond Barthé Curator’s Tour

November 5 at 2pm Jepson Center
Tour the exhibition with Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator Alex Mann for a closer look at his favorite works and the stories behind them. Free with museum admission.
Mailing Address
Telfair Museums
PO Box 10081
Savannah, GA 31412
Phone Number
912.790.8800
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