Bertina Lopes, 1924 - 2012, Mozambique Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Framed: 81.5 x 111.5 x 4.5 cm (32 1/16 x 43 7/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
Type:
Painting
Geography:
Mozambique
Date:
1958
Label Text:
Painted at the time African nations were declaring independence from colonial governments, Mozambican artist Bertina Lopes turns to urbanization as a metaphor for Mozambique’s—and Africa’s—readiness for freedom from external rule. Her whimsical composition of a woman silhouetted against both foliage and cityscape also projects a sense of romanticism and optimism. Due to her integral role in Mozambique’s fight for independence and subsequent peace agreement, Lopes was honored upon her death with an official ceremony in Maputo.
Description:
Oil on canvas stretched and framed painting depicting a woman wearing a red kerchief on her head as she reaches toward a cityscape. Her features are stylized, with her limbs and torso taking on the appearance of a tree in the foreground. Behind her is green foliage, and beyond that the tall buildings of a city framed against a red sky with radiating yellow sun. The painted surface does not show flaking or discoloration. It is signed by the artist on the lower right side and dated 1960. The painting is executed on Mozambiquan locally-made jute and was completed in Maputo in 1958 (as seen on the back of the canvas). On the back, the work is signed by the artist in pencil, with the date of 1958 and the name Maputo. The pencil writing is not easily legible. Lopes re-wrote the title of the work, the citation "Private Collection" (Collezione Privada) and "Not to be sold" (Non in vendita) in heavy black marker. There are traces of tar on the back surface. There is an additional date of 1958-1960 in marker on the frame, probably dating from the re-framing of the canvas. In addition, there is another date, which could be 1960, not easily legible.
Provenance:
Acquired in 2014 from Franco Confaloni, widower of the artist and the Lopes Archives
Exhibition History:
I Am: Contemporary African Women Artists, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2019 - April 3, 2022
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