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Flower Sniffer
Emma Amos
Contemporary Art
In this self-portrait, Emma Amos holds a small bouquet and gazes out from the frame, perhaps into the circular portal of a mirror or directly at the viewer. The sensitive attention to color, interlocking geometric planes, and suggestion of a flowery aroma express the simple joys found in life’s ordinary moments. Amos conveys a sense of sanctuary and self-determinacy that echoes her own commitment to painting, despite the discrimination she encountered throughout her career. “For me, a Black woman artist,” she said, “to walk into the studio is a political act.”
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
DATES
1966
DIMENSIONS
50 × 50 in. (127 × 127 cm)
frame: 51 × 51 × 1 7/8 in. (129.5 × 129.5 × 4.8 cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE
Signed top right recto
COLLECTIONS
Contemporary Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
2017.35
CREDIT LINE
William K. Jacobs, Jr. Fund
PROVENANCE
By 2017, acquired from the artist by Ryan Lee Gallery, New York, NY; December 19, 2017, purchased from Ryan Lee Gallery by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Emma Amos (American, 1937–2020). Flower Sniffer, 1966. Oil on canvas, 50 × 50 in. (127 × 127 cm). Brooklyn Museum, William K. Jacobs, Jr. Fund, 2017.35. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: , CUR.2017.35.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, CUR.2017.35.jpg., 2018
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
© artist or artist's estate
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