Malvina Hoffman (American, 1885-1966), 'African Slave', mahogany sculpture, incised signed and dated 'Paris, 1929' on right side lower right, Conner-Rosenkranz, LLC, New York label, and title label en verso, 18.375in. x 12.125in. x 8.5in. Provenance: Conner-Rosenkranz, New York, 2000. Note: As a result of a 1927 trip to North Africa, the talented American artist Malvina Hoffman created sculptures of the indigenous people she encountered on her travels. In 1929, Stanley Field, Director of Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History asked Hoffman to participate in creating a series of sculptures entitled 'The Races of Man' for permanent display in the museum. Initially Field's plan involved many artists, but Hoffman insisted that she would be the sole artist for the project. Her work for the Field Museum earned her a great deal of acclaim and in 1936 she wrote the book Heads and Tales that documented her travels and experiences in creating 'The Races of Man' series.