Description:

Albert "Al" LaVergne (American/Louisiana, 1943-2020) , "Hand", bronze, unsigned, h. 10 1/2 in., w. 9 in., d. 7 1/2 in., wood base, overall h. 12 in.

  • Notes: Louisiana-born Albert “Al” LaVergne was the son of sharecropper parents. Growing up on a farm, he developed many skills repairing farm equipment and tools that would prepare him for his artistic career as a sculptor. He also enjoyed visiting the local blacksmith shop with his father where he would watch the skilled artisan at work. These early-in-life moments helped to pave the way for LaVergne’s artistic vision and high level of execution. LaVergne received his BA from Southern University in Baton Rouge and his MFA at the University of California Berkeley in 1973. After graduating from Berkeley, he returned to Southern University, this time as a professor of art. He also taught at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and received two Fulbright grants to travel to Nigeria where he created a fourteen-foot-tall sculpture entitled “The Gift,” which he described as “a prodigal son coming home.” His time in Nigeria was particularly meaningful for the African American artist who always felt a “strong connection on some level” to Africa. The work offered here is a bronze outreaching hand with fingers tensely spread as if desperately reaching for an unseen goal. The skin appears warped and pinched into unnatural shapes with a sharp contrast between the soft fleshiness and the hard medium. The hand, as symbolic of the body as a whole, is filled with expression, movement and the small imperfections of a life lived. A similar LaVergne piece from 1987 was featured in the Baton Rouge Gallery’s “50/50” retrospective exhibition in 2016, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the gallery. Ref.: “Fulbright Scholar Inspires and Connects in Ife.” United States Diplomatic Mission, Nigeria. Aug. 2, 2012. usembassynigeria.blogspot.com. Accessed: Oct. 24, 2022; Feinberg, Robbie. “Through a Nigerian Trip, Sculptor Al Lavergne Crafts a 14-Foot Tall ‘Gift.’” WMUK. July 10, 2015. wmuk.org. Accessed Oct. 24, 2022; Miller, Robin. “Baton Rouge Gallery 50/50 Show Looks at 50 Years of Contemporary Artists and Their Art.” The Advocate. July 13, 2016. www.theadvocate.com. Accessed Oct. 24, 2022.
  • Condition: If Condition is NOT stated in the description of the lot, the absence of a condition report does not indicate the lot is free of damage or condition issues. Available Condition Reports will appear as an additional image. Condition Reports and photographs may be requested on items until the Wednesday prior to the auction. Bid accordingly. All sales are final, no returns are accepted on the basis of condition.

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November 19, 2022 11:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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