Description:

José Torres-Tama (Ecuadorian/New Orleans, b. 1961), "Rose Nicaud, Free Woman of Color", 2004, pastel on paper, signed and dated lower left, 22 in. x 14 in., framed. Provenance: Collection of Michael Brown and Linda Green, New Orleans. Note: Although Torres-Tama was born in Ecuador and lived many years in New York and New Jersey, he has considered New Orleans his “spiritual home” since 1984. Working in many forms of artistic expression, including drawing, painting, installations, spoken-word poetry, and performance art, Torres-Tama uses the multiculturalism of his own background to relate to underrepresented groups. In 2009, Torres-Tama worked with the Ogden Museum of Southern Art to create an exhibition entitled Free People of Color and Their Legacy. In this portrait of historic figure Rose Nicaud, Torres-Tama includes an image of broken chains, alluding to her birth into slavery and the years of hard work necessary to buy her freedom. He prominently features Nicaud’s coffee pot, the literal representation of the manner in which she made her income, first pouring coffee from a cart on the street, and eventually gaining enough prominence in the city to rent a stall in the French Market. The vibrant colors and bold pastel strokes of the current lot showcase Torres-Tama’s technique throughout the series, which, as Keith Weldon Medley writes, “imbues their portraits with perspective, emotion, and gravitas.” Ref.: Torres-Tama, José and Keith Weldon Medley. New Orleans Free People of Color & Their Legacy: The Artwork of José Torres-Tama. New Orleans: Ogden Museum of Art, 2009.

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September 9, 2017 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US

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