The French Collection

Prompt: How does The French Collection explain its Descriptions and locations?

Each quilt is made with acrylic paint on canvas, patterned fabric, and text written in ink on canvas. The quilts tell the narrative of Willia Marie Simone, a 16-year-old African American girl who is moving from Harlem, New York, to Paris, in 1920 to paint and model. Willia Marie's Aunt Melissa gives her $500 for the journey and eventually agrees to care for her children, and they exchange letters over the course of her time in Europe. Ringgold's daughter has described the quilts and stories in The French Collection: How Willia Marie's life subsequently unfolds, rendering her ultimately a successful expatriate Black woman artist living in France, is explained in an elliptical series of stories, most but not all of which are presented in the form of letters home to Aunt Melissa. These narratives, which are handwritten on the quilts, are paired with a series of images designed to provide a visual presentation of Willia Marie's progress. While five of the quilts are located in public collections and a number of the quilts are owned by noted public figures, some are owned by unknown private collections and may be in the collection of the artist's estate or gallery.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Descriptions and locations discussed?

Each quilt is made with acrylic paint on canvas, patterned fabric, and text written in ink on canvas. The quilts tell the narrative of Willia Marie Simone, a 16-year-old African American girl who is moving from Harlem, New York, to Paris, in 1920 to paint and model. Willia Marie's Aunt Melissa gives her $500 for the journey and eventually agrees to care for her children, and they exchange letters over the course of her time in Europe. Ringgold's daughter has described the quilts and stories in The French Collection: How Willia Marie's life subsequently unfolds, rendering her ultimately a successful expatriate Black woman artist living in France, is explained in an elliptical series of stories, most but not all of which are presented in the form of letters home to Aunt Melissa. These narratives, which are handwritten on the quilts, are paired with a series of images designed to provide a visual presentation of Willia Marie's progress. While five of the quilts are located in public collections and a number of the quilts are owned by noted public figures, some are owned by unknown private collections and may be in the collection of the artist's estate or gallery.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #1: Dancing at the Louvre (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Dancing at the Louvre depicts Willia Marie and a stylish Black woman whose three daughters in colorful dresses are dancing happily in an art gallery at the Louvre. Several paintings are rendered on the wall behind the figures, including the Mona Lisa. In the written text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa about a friend named Marcia (the pictured woman), who scolded Willia Marie for not bringing her children with her to Europe. Ringgold modeled Marcia and her children on the artist's own children in real life, whom she did not bring to Europe with her on her trips for inspiration for the series.Dancing at the Louvre is in the collection of the Gund Gallery, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #1: Dancing at the Louvre (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Dancing at the Louvre depicts Willia Marie and a stylish Black woman whose three daughters in colorful dresses are dancing happily in an art gallery at the Louvre. Several paintings are rendered on the wall behind the figures, including the Mona Lisa. In the written text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa about a friend named Marcia (the pictured woman), who scolded Willia Marie for not bringing her children with her to Europe. Ringgold modeled Marcia and her children on the artist's own children in real life, whom she did not bring to Europe with her on her trips for inspiration for the series.Dancing at the Louvre is in the collection of the Gund Gallery, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #1: Dancing at the Louvre (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Dancing at the Louvre depicts Willia Marie and a stylish Black woman whose three daughters in colorful dresses are dancing happily in an art gallery at the Louvre. Several paintings are rendered on the wall behind the figures, including the Mona Lisa. In the written text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa about a friend named Marcia (the pictured woman), who scolded Willia Marie for not bringing her children with her to Europe. Ringgold modeled Marcia and her children on the artist's own children in real life, whom she did not bring to Europe with her on her trips for inspiration for the series.Dancing at the Louvre is in the collection of the Gund Gallery, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #1: Dancing at the Louvre (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Dancing at the Louvre depicts Willia Marie and a stylish Black woman whose three daughters in colorful dresses are dancing happily in an art gallery at the Louvre. Several paintings are rendered on the wall behind the figures, including the Mona Lisa. In the written text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa about a friend named Marcia (the pictured woman), who scolded Willia Marie for not bringing her children with her to Europe. Ringgold modeled Marcia and her children on the artist's own children in real life, whom she did not bring to Europe with her on her trips for inspiration for the series.Dancing at the Louvre is in the collection of the Gund Gallery, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #2: Wedding on the Seine (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Wedding on the Seine depicts Willia Marie in a wedding dress, running across the Pont Neuf bridge over the Seine in Paris. The Île de la Cité and architecture of the city are visible behind her and tower over Willia Marie as she throws a bouquet into the river. The text provides background information about Willia Marie's marriage: she fears that marriage and children will harm her artistic career, but her wealthy French husband passed away after they were married for three years.As of 2022, Wedding on the Seine was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #2: Wedding on the Seine (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Wedding on the Seine depicts Willia Marie in a wedding dress, running across the Pont Neuf bridge over the Seine in Paris. The Île de la Cité and architecture of the city are visible behind her and tower over Willia Marie as she throws a bouquet into the river. The text provides background information about Willia Marie's marriage: she fears that marriage and children will harm her artistic career, but her wealthy French husband passed away after they were married for three years.As of 2022, Wedding on the Seine was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #2: Wedding on the Seine (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Wedding on the Seine depicts Willia Marie in a wedding dress, running across the Pont Neuf bridge over the Seine in Paris. The Île de la Cité and architecture of the city are visible behind her and tower over Willia Marie as she throws a bouquet into the river. The text provides background information about Willia Marie's marriage: she fears that marriage and children will harm her artistic career, but her wealthy French husband passed away after they were married for three years.As of 2022, Wedding on the Seine was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #2: Wedding on the Seine (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Wedding on the Seine depicts Willia Marie in a wedding dress, running across the Pont Neuf bridge over the Seine in Paris. The Île de la Cité and architecture of the city are visible behind her and tower over Willia Marie as she throws a bouquet into the river. The text provides background information about Willia Marie's marriage: she fears that marriage and children will harm her artistic career, but her wealthy French husband passed away after they were married for three years.As of 2022, Wedding on the Seine was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #3: The Picnic at Giverny (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Picnic at Giverny depicts Willia Marie painting a portrait of a group of brightly-dressed women standing and sitting at a picnic in front of a pond at Giverny, in addition to the artist Pablo Picasso who is posing nude on the ground wearing a hat, looking over his shoulder at the viewer. The women are various real-life patrons and artistic supporters of Ringgold's, including the artist Emma Amos. In the text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa that she was invited to Giverny - Claude Monet's home at the time - to paint a portrait, and based the portrait on Édouard Manet's painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1893). Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the inclusion of the elderly, naked Picasso was a reversal of the Manet work, in which the men are clothed and the women are naked. She also tells her Aunt that instead of painting strictly about the social ills of her time, she wants to paint things that will inspire and liberate her audience.As of 2022, The Picnic at Giverny was in the private collection of financier Eric S. Dobkin and his wife Barbara Dobkin.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #3: The Picnic at Giverny (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Picnic at Giverny depicts Willia Marie painting a portrait of a group of brightly-dressed women standing and sitting at a picnic in front of a pond at Giverny, in addition to the artist Pablo Picasso who is posing nude on the ground wearing a hat, looking over his shoulder at the viewer. The women are various real-life patrons and artistic supporters of Ringgold's, including the artist Emma Amos. In the text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa that she was invited to Giverny - Claude Monet's home at the time - to paint a portrait, and based the portrait on Édouard Manet's painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1893). Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the inclusion of the elderly, naked Picasso was a reversal of the Manet work, in which the men are clothed and the women are naked. She also tells her Aunt that instead of painting strictly about the social ills of her time, she wants to paint things that will inspire and liberate her audience.As of 2022, The Picnic at Giverny was in the private collection of financier Eric S. Dobkin and his wife Barbara Dobkin.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #3: The Picnic at Giverny (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Picnic at Giverny depicts Willia Marie painting a portrait of a group of brightly-dressed women standing and sitting at a picnic in front of a pond at Giverny, in addition to the artist Pablo Picasso who is posing nude on the ground wearing a hat, looking over his shoulder at the viewer. The women are various real-life patrons and artistic supporters of Ringgold's, including the artist Emma Amos. In the text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa that she was invited to Giverny - Claude Monet's home at the time - to paint a portrait, and based the portrait on Édouard Manet's painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1893). Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the inclusion of the elderly, naked Picasso was a reversal of the Manet work, in which the men are clothed and the women are naked. She also tells her Aunt that instead of painting strictly about the social ills of her time, she wants to paint things that will inspire and liberate her audience.As of 2022, The Picnic at Giverny was in the private collection of financier Eric S. Dobkin and his wife Barbara Dobkin.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #3: The Picnic at Giverny (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Picnic at Giverny depicts Willia Marie painting a portrait of a group of brightly-dressed women standing and sitting at a picnic in front of a pond at Giverny, in addition to the artist Pablo Picasso who is posing nude on the ground wearing a hat, looking over his shoulder at the viewer. The women are various real-life patrons and artistic supporters of Ringgold's, including the artist Emma Amos. In the text, Willia Marie writes to her Aunt Melissa that she was invited to Giverny - Claude Monet's home at the time - to paint a portrait, and based the portrait on Édouard Manet's painting Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (1893). Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the inclusion of the elderly, naked Picasso was a reversal of the Manet work, in which the men are clothed and the women are naked. She also tells her Aunt that instead of painting strictly about the social ills of her time, she wants to paint things that will inspire and liberate her audience.As of 2022, The Picnic at Giverny was in the private collection of financier Eric S. Dobkin and his wife Barbara Dobkin.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #4: Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles depicts a group of famous African American women creating a quilt patterned with sunflowers, while sitting in a field of sunflowers in Arles. The women are being approached by the artist Vincent van Gogh holding a vase filled with flowers and seem disturbed by his arrival. The women portrayed are Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Madam C. J. Walker, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Ella Baker, who comprise the fictional National Sunflower Quilters Society of America. In the text, Willia Marie describes her conversations with the women, who are touring the world making quilts. They describe themselves as all artists and tell her that when they are finished quilting, they can move on to the "real art" of working toward a better world.Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles was originally made while Ringgold was creating other works commissioned by Oprah Winfrey. Ringgold included historical Black women in the painting that Winfrey admired and Winfrey subsequently purchased it. As of 2022, the work was still in Winfrey's private collection. In 2024, the work was exhibited for sale at the art fair EXPO Chicago, presented by Ringgold's art dealer ACA Galleries.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #4: Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles depicts a group of famous African American women creating a quilt patterned with sunflowers, while sitting in a field of sunflowers in Arles. The women are being approached by the artist Vincent van Gogh holding a vase filled with flowers and seem disturbed by his arrival. The women portrayed are Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Madam C. J. Walker, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Ella Baker, who comprise the fictional National Sunflower Quilters Society of America. In the text, Willia Marie describes her conversations with the women, who are touring the world making quilts. They describe themselves as all artists and tell her that when they are finished quilting, they can move on to the "real art" of working toward a better world.Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles was originally made while Ringgold was creating other works commissioned by Oprah Winfrey. Ringgold included historical Black women in the painting that Winfrey admired and Winfrey subsequently purchased it. As of 2022, the work was still in Winfrey's private collection. In 2024, the work was exhibited for sale at the art fair EXPO Chicago, presented by Ringgold's art dealer ACA Galleries.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #4: Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles depicts a group of famous African American women creating a quilt patterned with sunflowers, while sitting in a field of sunflowers in Arles. The women are being approached by the artist Vincent van Gogh holding a vase filled with flowers and seem disturbed by his arrival. The women portrayed are Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Madam C. J. Walker, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Ella Baker, who comprise the fictional National Sunflower Quilters Society of America. In the text, Willia Marie describes her conversations with the women, who are touring the world making quilts. They describe themselves as all artists and tell her that when they are finished quilting, they can move on to the "real art" of working toward a better world.Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles was originally made while Ringgold was creating other works commissioned by Oprah Winfrey. Ringgold included historical Black women in the painting that Winfrey admired and Winfrey subsequently purchased it. As of 2022, the work was still in Winfrey's private collection. In 2024, the work was exhibited for sale at the art fair EXPO Chicago, presented by Ringgold's art dealer ACA Galleries.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #4: Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles depicts a group of famous African American women creating a quilt patterned with sunflowers, while sitting in a field of sunflowers in Arles. The women are being approached by the artist Vincent van Gogh holding a vase filled with flowers and seem disturbed by his arrival. The women portrayed are Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Madam C. J. Walker, Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Ella Baker, who comprise the fictional National Sunflower Quilters Society of America. In the text, Willia Marie describes her conversations with the women, who are touring the world making quilts. They describe themselves as all artists and tell her that when they are finished quilting, they can move on to the "real art" of working toward a better world.Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles was originally made while Ringgold was creating other works commissioned by Oprah Winfrey. Ringgold included historical Black women in the painting that Winfrey admired and Winfrey subsequently purchased it. As of 2022, the work was still in Winfrey's private collection. In 2024, the work was exhibited for sale at the art fair EXPO Chicago, presented by Ringgold's art dealer ACA Galleries.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #5: Matisse's Model (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Matisse's Model depicts Willia Marie reclining nude, modeling for the artist Henri Matisse who is standing in the corner holding a paint palette. Above Willia Marie, Matisse's painting Dance (1910) hangs on the wall. The version of Dance depicted is the version owned by the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which uses a darker red paint than the version owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the text, Willia Marie reflects on race and beauty standards for Black women.Matisse's Model is in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #5: Matisse's Model (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Matisse's Model depicts Willia Marie reclining nude, modeling for the artist Henri Matisse who is standing in the corner holding a paint palette. Above Willia Marie, Matisse's painting Dance (1910) hangs on the wall. The version of Dance depicted is the version owned by the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which uses a darker red paint than the version owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the text, Willia Marie reflects on race and beauty standards for Black women.Matisse's Model is in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #5: Matisse's Model (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Matisse's Model depicts Willia Marie reclining nude, modeling for the artist Henri Matisse who is standing in the corner holding a paint palette. Above Willia Marie, Matisse's painting Dance (1910) hangs on the wall. The version of Dance depicted is the version owned by the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which uses a darker red paint than the version owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the text, Willia Marie reflects on race and beauty standards for Black women.Matisse's Model is in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #5: Matisse's Model (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Matisse's Model depicts Willia Marie reclining nude, modeling for the artist Henri Matisse who is standing in the corner holding a paint palette. Above Willia Marie, Matisse's painting Dance (1910) hangs on the wall. The version of Dance depicted is the version owned by the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which uses a darker red paint than the version owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the text, Willia Marie reflects on race and beauty standards for Black women.Matisse's Model is in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #6: Matisse's Chapel (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Matisse's Chapel depicts a large group of Black elders, parents, and children sitting and standing inside the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, a chapel elaborately decorated with artworks by Henri Matisse and often referred to as the Matisse Chapel. The group are all deceased members of Ringgold's real family, including her mother, known to the family as Momma Jones, and her great grandmother, Betsy Bingham. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the scene is from a dream where her ancestors gathered in the chapel and spoke with her. In the dream, Betsy tells Willia Marie a story about meeting a white man who tried to shame her for being the descendant of enslaved people. Betsy rebuffed the man by asking him if he was ashamed of being the descendant of slavers. The man recounted a family story involving his grandparents, slavers from South Carolina, who had recoiled at the scent of bodies emanating from a slave ship in distress that they passed on a boat journey, only for their own boat to catch fire, forcing them to inhale the scent more deeply as they struggled to breath amid the smoke.As of 2022, Matisse's Chapel was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #6: Matisse's Chapel (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Matisse's Chapel depicts a large group of Black elders, parents, and children sitting and standing inside the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, a chapel elaborately decorated with artworks by Henri Matisse and often referred to as the Matisse Chapel. The group are all deceased members of Ringgold's real family, including her mother, known to the family as Momma Jones, and her great grandmother, Betsy Bingham. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the scene is from a dream where her ancestors gathered in the chapel and spoke with her. In the dream, Betsy tells Willia Marie a story about meeting a white man who tried to shame her for being the descendant of enslaved people. Betsy rebuffed the man by asking him if he was ashamed of being the descendant of slavers. The man recounted a family story involving his grandparents, slavers from South Carolina, who had recoiled at the scent of bodies emanating from a slave ship in distress that they passed on a boat journey, only for their own boat to catch fire, forcing them to inhale the scent more deeply as they struggled to breath amid the smoke.As of 2022, Matisse's Chapel was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #6: Matisse's Chapel (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Matisse's Chapel depicts a large group of Black elders, parents, and children sitting and standing inside the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, a chapel elaborately decorated with artworks by Henri Matisse and often referred to as the Matisse Chapel. The group are all deceased members of Ringgold's real family, including her mother, known to the family as Momma Jones, and her great grandmother, Betsy Bingham. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the scene is from a dream where her ancestors gathered in the chapel and spoke with her. In the dream, Betsy tells Willia Marie a story about meeting a white man who tried to shame her for being the descendant of enslaved people. Betsy rebuffed the man by asking him if he was ashamed of being the descendant of slavers. The man recounted a family story involving his grandparents, slavers from South Carolina, who had recoiled at the scent of bodies emanating from a slave ship in distress that they passed on a boat journey, only for their own boat to catch fire, forcing them to inhale the scent more deeply as they struggled to breath amid the smoke.As of 2022, Matisse's Chapel was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #6: Matisse's Chapel (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Matisse's Chapel depicts a large group of Black elders, parents, and children sitting and standing inside the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, a chapel elaborately decorated with artworks by Henri Matisse and often referred to as the Matisse Chapel. The group are all deceased members of Ringgold's real family, including her mother, known to the family as Momma Jones, and her great grandmother, Betsy Bingham. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the scene is from a dream where her ancestors gathered in the chapel and spoke with her. In the dream, Betsy tells Willia Marie a story about meeting a white man who tried to shame her for being the descendant of enslaved people. Betsy rebuffed the man by asking him if he was ashamed of being the descendant of slavers. The man recounted a family story involving his grandparents, slavers from South Carolina, who had recoiled at the scent of bodies emanating from a slave ship in distress that they passed on a boat journey, only for their own boat to catch fire, forcing them to inhale the scent more deeply as they struggled to breath amid the smoke.As of 2022, Matisse's Chapel was in a private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #7: Picasso's Studio (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Picasso's Studio depicts Willia Marie posing nude for the artist Pablo Picasso with his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) hanging behind her. Picasso is elderly, the age he would have been during Ringgold's early career, but much older than he would have been when painting Les Demoiselles. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the women and African masks in the Picasso painting began to have a conversation during her visit, encouraging Willia Marie to embrace her identities as both a Black person and a woman. Willia Marie also tells her Aunt that while Picasso "has the power to deny" the African inspirations in his art, it "doesn’t matter what he says about where it comes from. We see where, every time we look in the mirror.”Picasso's Studio is in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #7: Picasso's Studio (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Picasso's Studio depicts Willia Marie posing nude for the artist Pablo Picasso with his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) hanging behind her. Picasso is elderly, the age he would have been during Ringgold's early career, but much older than he would have been when painting Les Demoiselles. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the women and African masks in the Picasso painting began to have a conversation during her visit, encouraging Willia Marie to embrace her identities as both a Black person and a woman. Willia Marie also tells her Aunt that while Picasso "has the power to deny" the African inspirations in his art, it "doesn’t matter what he says about where it comes from. We see where, every time we look in the mirror.”Picasso's Studio is in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #7: Picasso's Studio (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Picasso's Studio depicts Willia Marie posing nude for the artist Pablo Picasso with his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) hanging behind her. Picasso is elderly, the age he would have been during Ringgold's early career, but much older than he would have been when painting Les Demoiselles. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the women and African masks in the Picasso painting began to have a conversation during her visit, encouraging Willia Marie to embrace her identities as both a Black person and a woman. Willia Marie also tells her Aunt that while Picasso "has the power to deny" the African inspirations in his art, it "doesn’t matter what he says about where it comes from. We see where, every time we look in the mirror.”Picasso's Studio is in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #7: Picasso's Studio (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Picasso's Studio depicts Willia Marie posing nude for the artist Pablo Picasso with his painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) hanging behind her. Picasso is elderly, the age he would have been during Ringgold's early career, but much older than he would have been when painting Les Demoiselles. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that the women and African masks in the Picasso painting began to have a conversation during her visit, encouraging Willia Marie to embrace her identities as both a Black person and a woman. Willia Marie also tells her Aunt that while Picasso "has the power to deny" the African inspirations in his art, it "doesn’t matter what he says about where it comes from. We see where, every time we look in the mirror.”Picasso's Studio is in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part I, #8: On the Beach at St. Tropez (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

On the Beach at St. Tropez depicts Willia Marie laying on a beach in Saint-Tropez with her son Pierrot, surrounded by other families and beachgoers. In the text, Willia Marie has a conversation with Pierrot about why she chose to stay in France to be an artist rather than raise him. The conversation is gentle and warm, and Pierrot accepts her explanation. Ringgold did not have any sons, and her daughter Michele Wallace has said this story reflects the artist's belief that relationships between mothers and sons are supposedly calmer than those between mothers and daughters.As of 2022, On the Beach at St. Tropez was in the private collection of Patricia Blanchet and her late husband, television broadcaster Ed Bradley.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part I, #8: On the Beach at St. Tropez (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

On the Beach at St. Tropez depicts Willia Marie laying on a beach in Saint-Tropez with her son Pierrot, surrounded by other families and beachgoers. In the text, Willia Marie has a conversation with Pierrot about why she chose to stay in France to be an artist rather than raise him. The conversation is gentle and warm, and Pierrot accepts her explanation. Ringgold did not have any sons, and her daughter Michele Wallace has said this story reflects the artist's belief that relationships between mothers and sons are supposedly calmer than those between mothers and daughters.As of 2022, On the Beach at St. Tropez was in the private collection of Patricia Blanchet and her late husband, television broadcaster Ed Bradley.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part I, #8: On the Beach at St. Tropez (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

On the Beach at St. Tropez depicts Willia Marie laying on a beach in Saint-Tropez with her son Pierrot, surrounded by other families and beachgoers. In the text, Willia Marie has a conversation with Pierrot about why she chose to stay in France to be an artist rather than raise him. The conversation is gentle and warm, and Pierrot accepts her explanation. Ringgold did not have any sons, and her daughter Michele Wallace has said this story reflects the artist's belief that relationships between mothers and sons are supposedly calmer than those between mothers and daughters.As of 2022, On the Beach at St. Tropez was in the private collection of Patricia Blanchet and her late husband, television broadcaster Ed Bradley.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part I, #8: On the Beach at St. Tropez (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

On the Beach at St. Tropez depicts Willia Marie laying on a beach in Saint-Tropez with her son Pierrot, surrounded by other families and beachgoers. In the text, Willia Marie has a conversation with Pierrot about why she chose to stay in France to be an artist rather than raise him. The conversation is gentle and warm, and Pierrot accepts her explanation. Ringgold did not have any sons, and her daughter Michele Wallace has said this story reflects the artist's belief that relationships between mothers and sons are supposedly calmer than those between mothers and daughters.As of 2022, On the Beach at St. Tropez was in the private collection of Patricia Blanchet and her late husband, television broadcaster Ed Bradley.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part II, #9: Dinner at Gertrude Stein's (1991) and the Descriptions and locations.

Dinner at Gertrude Stein's depicts Willia Marie and a group of writers and artists sitting at dinner in Gertrude Stein's salon in Paris. Seated  around the table are James Baldwin, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Pablo Picasso, Richard Wright, and Stein herself along with her partner Alice B. Toklas and brother Leo Stein. Several paintings are rendered on the wall in the salon, including Picasso's Portrait of Gertrude Stein (1905-1906) and works by Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Marie Laurencin. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt about the dinner, the discussions she had with the attendees, and her views on Stein's salon gatherings.In 2024 Dinner at Gertrude Stein's was sold at auction from the collection of Muriel Weithorn and her late husband Stanley Weithorn, to an unknown private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part II, #9: Dinner at Gertrude Stein's (1991) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Dinner at Gertrude Stein's depicts Willia Marie and a group of writers and artists sitting at dinner in Gertrude Stein's salon in Paris. Seated  around the table are James Baldwin, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Pablo Picasso, Richard Wright, and Stein herself along with her partner Alice B. Toklas and brother Leo Stein. Several paintings are rendered on the wall in the salon, including Picasso's Portrait of Gertrude Stein (1905-1906) and works by Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Marie Laurencin. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt about the dinner, the discussions she had with the attendees, and her views on Stein's salon gatherings.In 2024 Dinner at Gertrude Stein's was sold at auction from the collection of Muriel Weithorn and her late husband Stanley Weithorn, to an unknown private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part II, #9: Dinner at Gertrude Stein's (1991) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Dinner at Gertrude Stein's depicts Willia Marie and a group of writers and artists sitting at dinner in Gertrude Stein's salon in Paris. Seated  around the table are James Baldwin, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Pablo Picasso, Richard Wright, and Stein herself along with her partner Alice B. Toklas and brother Leo Stein. Several paintings are rendered on the wall in the salon, including Picasso's Portrait of Gertrude Stein (1905-1906) and works by Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Marie Laurencin. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt about the dinner, the discussions she had with the attendees, and her views on Stein's salon gatherings.In 2024 Dinner at Gertrude Stein's was sold at auction from the collection of Muriel Weithorn and her late husband Stanley Weithorn, to an unknown private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part II, #9: Dinner at Gertrude Stein's (1991) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Dinner at Gertrude Stein's depicts Willia Marie and a group of writers and artists sitting at dinner in Gertrude Stein's salon in Paris. Seated  around the table are James Baldwin, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Pablo Picasso, Richard Wright, and Stein herself along with her partner Alice B. Toklas and brother Leo Stein. Several paintings are rendered on the wall in the salon, including Picasso's Portrait of Gertrude Stein (1905-1906) and works by Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Marie Laurencin. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt about the dinner, the discussions she had with the attendees, and her views on Stein's salon gatherings.In 2024 Dinner at Gertrude Stein's was sold at auction from the collection of Muriel Weithorn and her late husband Stanley Weithorn, to an unknown private collection.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part II, #10: Jo Baker's Birthday (1993) and the Descriptions and locations.

Jo Baker's Birthday depicts the American-born French performer Josephine Baker in a lounge chair with her breasts partially exposed, posing similarly to the titled figure in Édouard Manet's painting Olympia (1863). The image of Baker combines elements from the Manet painting and includes a rendering of a portion of Henri Matisse's The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room) (1908). In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that she was commissioned to paint a portrait of Baker, whom she admires as a Black woman controlling her own artistic image and pursuits.Jo Baker's Birthday is in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part II, #10: Jo Baker's Birthday (1993) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Jo Baker's Birthday depicts the American-born French performer Josephine Baker in a lounge chair with her breasts partially exposed, posing similarly to the titled figure in Édouard Manet's painting Olympia (1863). The image of Baker combines elements from the Manet painting and includes a rendering of a portion of Henri Matisse's The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room) (1908). In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that she was commissioned to paint a portrait of Baker, whom she admires as a Black woman controlling her own artistic image and pursuits.Jo Baker's Birthday is in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part II, #10: Jo Baker's Birthday (1993) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Jo Baker's Birthday depicts the American-born French performer Josephine Baker in a lounge chair with her breasts partially exposed, posing similarly to the titled figure in Édouard Manet's painting Olympia (1863). The image of Baker combines elements from the Manet painting and includes a rendering of a portion of Henri Matisse's The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room) (1908). In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that she was commissioned to paint a portrait of Baker, whom she admires as a Black woman controlling her own artistic image and pursuits.Jo Baker's Birthday is in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part II, #10: Jo Baker's Birthday (1993) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Jo Baker's Birthday depicts the American-born French performer Josephine Baker in a lounge chair with her breasts partially exposed, posing similarly to the titled figure in Édouard Manet's painting Olympia (1863). The image of Baker combines elements from the Manet painting and includes a rendering of a portion of Henri Matisse's The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room) (1908). In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that she was commissioned to paint a portrait of Baker, whom she admires as a Black woman controlling her own artistic image and pursuits.Jo Baker's Birthday is in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part II, #11: Le Café des Artistes (1994) and the Descriptions and locations.

Le Café des Artistes depicts Willia Marie standing among a large group of artists, writers, and public figures who are seated outside her café, Le Café des Artistes, in Paris. The figures depicted are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Ed Clark, Aaron Douglas, William H. Johnson, Sargent Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Jacob Lawrence, Edmonia Lewis, Archibald Motley, Raymond Saunders, Augusta Savage, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice Utrillo, and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller. Ringgold also included a portrait of herself among the group. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that by owning the café and inviting artists to commune with her, she is learning and thriving. But she expresses a need to ultimately draw creativity and inspiration from sources in Africa.As of 2021, Le Café des Artistes was in the private collection of Juanita Vanoy Jordan, the ex-wife of retired professional basketball player Michael Jordan.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part II, #11: Le Café des Artistes (1994) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Le Café des Artistes depicts Willia Marie standing among a large group of artists, writers, and public figures who are seated outside her café, Le Café des Artistes, in Paris. The figures depicted are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Ed Clark, Aaron Douglas, William H. Johnson, Sargent Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Jacob Lawrence, Edmonia Lewis, Archibald Motley, Raymond Saunders, Augusta Savage, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice Utrillo, and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller. Ringgold also included a portrait of herself among the group. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that by owning the café and inviting artists to commune with her, she is learning and thriving. But she expresses a need to ultimately draw creativity and inspiration from sources in Africa.As of 2021, Le Café des Artistes was in the private collection of Juanita Vanoy Jordan, the ex-wife of retired professional basketball player Michael Jordan.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part II, #11: Le Café des Artistes (1994) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Le Café des Artistes depicts Willia Marie standing among a large group of artists, writers, and public figures who are seated outside her café, Le Café des Artistes, in Paris. The figures depicted are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Ed Clark, Aaron Douglas, William H. Johnson, Sargent Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Jacob Lawrence, Edmonia Lewis, Archibald Motley, Raymond Saunders, Augusta Savage, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice Utrillo, and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller. Ringgold also included a portrait of herself among the group. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that by owning the café and inviting artists to commune with her, she is learning and thriving. But she expresses a need to ultimately draw creativity and inspiration from sources in Africa.As of 2021, Le Café des Artistes was in the private collection of Juanita Vanoy Jordan, the ex-wife of retired professional basketball player Michael Jordan.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part II, #11: Le Café des Artistes (1994) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Le Café des Artistes depicts Willia Marie standing among a large group of artists, writers, and public figures who are seated outside her café, Le Café des Artistes, in Paris. The figures depicted are Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Ed Clark, Aaron Douglas, William H. Johnson, Sargent Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Jacob Lawrence, Edmonia Lewis, Archibald Motley, Raymond Saunders, Augusta Savage, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice Utrillo, and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller. Ringgold also included a portrait of herself among the group. In the text, Willia Marie tells her Aunt that by owning the café and inviting artists to commune with her, she is learning and thriving. But she expresses a need to ultimately draw creativity and inspiration from sources in Africa.As of 2021, Le Café des Artistes was in the private collection of Juanita Vanoy Jordan, the ex-wife of retired professional basketball player Michael Jordan.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Part II, #12: Moroccan Holiday (1997) and the Descriptions and locations.

Moroccan Holiday is the final work in the series and depicts Willia Marie and her daughter Marlena having a conversation in front of portraits of Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. In the text, Willia Marie tells Marlena that had she been born a man, she would have been a hero like the men portrayed. Marlena tells her mother that her Aunt Melissa is actually a hero, as she raised Marlena when Willia Marie left for France. Marlena vows to eventually raise her own children herself in addition to becoming an artist, though she does not end up marrying or having children in the narrative that continues in The American Collection. The title of Moroccan Holiday is derived from a trip that Ringgold took to find a location that felt emotionally resonant enough to serve as the backdrop of the conversation between Willia Marie and Marlena. Although Ringgold visited Morocco and considered it as a location, she settled on the portraits of noted African American activists as the background.Moroccan Holiday is in the collection of the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Florida.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Part II, #12: Moroccan Holiday (1997) about the Descriptions and locations of this artwork, The French Collection.

Moroccan Holiday is the final work in the series and depicts Willia Marie and her daughter Marlena having a conversation in front of portraits of Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. In the text, Willia Marie tells Marlena that had she been born a man, she would have been a hero like the men portrayed. Marlena tells her mother that her Aunt Melissa is actually a hero, as she raised Marlena when Willia Marie left for France. Marlena vows to eventually raise her own children herself in addition to becoming an artist, though she does not end up marrying or having children in the narrative that continues in The American Collection. The title of Moroccan Holiday is derived from a trip that Ringgold took to find a location that felt emotionally resonant enough to serve as the backdrop of the conversation between Willia Marie and Marlena. Although Ringgold visited Morocco and considered it as a location, she settled on the portraits of noted African American activists as the background.Moroccan Holiday is in the collection of the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Florida.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Part II, #12: Moroccan Holiday (1997) of the Descriptions and locations explained?

Moroccan Holiday is the final work in the series and depicts Willia Marie and her daughter Marlena having a conversation in front of portraits of Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. In the text, Willia Marie tells Marlena that had she been born a man, she would have been a hero like the men portrayed. Marlena tells her mother that her Aunt Melissa is actually a hero, as she raised Marlena when Willia Marie left for France. Marlena vows to eventually raise her own children herself in addition to becoming an artist, though she does not end up marrying or having children in the narrative that continues in The American Collection. The title of Moroccan Holiday is derived from a trip that Ringgold took to find a location that felt emotionally resonant enough to serve as the backdrop of the conversation between Willia Marie and Marlena. Although Ringgold visited Morocco and considered it as a location, she settled on the portraits of noted African American activists as the background.Moroccan Holiday is in the collection of the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Florida.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Part II, #12: Moroccan Holiday (1997) in The French Collection's Descriptions and locations.

Moroccan Holiday is the final work in the series and depicts Willia Marie and her daughter Marlena having a conversation in front of portraits of Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. In the text, Willia Marie tells Marlena that had she been born a man, she would have been a hero like the men portrayed. Marlena tells her mother that her Aunt Melissa is actually a hero, as she raised Marlena when Willia Marie left for France. Marlena vows to eventually raise her own children herself in addition to becoming an artist, though she does not end up marrying or having children in the narrative that continues in The American Collection. The title of Moroccan Holiday is derived from a trip that Ringgold took to find a location that felt emotionally resonant enough to serve as the backdrop of the conversation between Willia Marie and Marlena. Although Ringgold visited Morocco and considered it as a location, she settled on the portraits of noted African American activists as the background.Moroccan Holiday is in the collection of the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Florida.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Focus on The French Collection and explain the Reception.

In a 1998 review in The New York Times of Ringgold's show Dancing at the Louvre at the New Museum, Grace Glueck called the series "poignantly witty" and praised its "vivid sense of history" and "audacious imagination." In a 1999 review in The Washington Post of the Baltimore Museum of Art's showing of Dancing at the Louvre, Michael O'Sullivan praised the series, describing the quilts as "not bedclothes at all but idiosyncratic documents," further noting that the quilts "take fine art off the gallery wall and throw it back on the laps of the common man."

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Reception of this artwork, The French Collection.

In a 1998 review in The New York Times of Ringgold's show Dancing at the Louvre at the New Museum, Grace Glueck called the series "poignantly witty" and praised its "vivid sense of history" and "audacious imagination." In a 1999 review in The Washington Post of the Baltimore Museum of Art's showing of Dancing at the Louvre, Michael O'Sullivan praised the series, describing the quilts as "not bedclothes at all but idiosyncratic documents," further noting that the quilts "take fine art off the gallery wall and throw it back on the laps of the common man."

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: How does The French Collection explain its Reception?

In a 1998 review in The New York Times of Ringgold's show Dancing at the Louvre at the New Museum, Grace Glueck called the series "poignantly witty" and praised its "vivid sense of history" and "audacious imagination." In a 1999 review in The Washington Post of the Baltimore Museum of Art's showing of Dancing at the Louvre, Michael O'Sullivan praised the series, describing the quilts as "not bedclothes at all but idiosyncratic documents," further noting that the quilts "take fine art off the gallery wall and throw it back on the laps of the common man."

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Reception discussed?

In a 1998 review in The New York Times of Ringgold's show Dancing at the Louvre at the New Museum, Grace Glueck called the series "poignantly witty" and praised its "vivid sense of history" and "audacious imagination." In a 1999 review in The Washington Post of the Baltimore Museum of Art's showing of Dancing at the Louvre, Michael O'Sullivan praised the series, describing the quilts as "not bedclothes at all but idiosyncratic documents," further noting that the quilts "take fine art off the gallery wall and throw it back on the laps of the common man."

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In the context of The French Collection, explain the Cited references and the Citations and references.

Wallace, Michele (2022). "Dancing at the Louvre". In Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary (eds.). Faith Ringgold: American People (1st ed.). New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. pp. 174–183. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary, eds. (2022). Faith Ringgold: American People. New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Explain the Cited references about the Citations and references of this artwork, The French Collection.

Wallace, Michele (2022). "Dancing at the Louvre". In Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary (eds.). Faith Ringgold: American People (1st ed.). New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. pp. 174–183. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary, eds. (2022). Faith Ringgold: American People. New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: In The French Collection, how is the Cited references of the Citations and references explained?

Wallace, Michele (2022). "Dancing at the Louvre". In Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary (eds.). Faith Ringgold: American People (1st ed.). New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. pp. 174–183. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary, eds. (2022). Faith Ringgold: American People. New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


The French Collection

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Cited references in The French Collection's Citations and references.

Wallace, Michele (2022). "Dancing at the Louvre". In Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary (eds.). Faith Ringgold: American People (1st ed.). New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. pp. 174–183. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.Gioni, Massimiliano; Carrion-Murayari, Gary, eds. (2022). Faith Ringgold: American People. New York / London: New Museum / Phaidon Press. ISBN 9781838664220. OCLC 1295108502.

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)

File:Pont Neuf, Paris 16 October 2011.jpg

File:Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, 1922, Man Ray.jpg


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Focus on Eternal Springtime and explain the abstract.

Eternal Springtime (French: L'Éternel Printemps) is a c. 1884 sculpture by the French artist Auguste Rodin, depicting a pair of lovers. It was created at the same time as The Gates of Hell and originally intended to be part of it. One of its rare 19th-century original casts belongs to the permanent collection of  Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.One of its largest marble versions belongs to the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Eternal Springtime.

Eternal Springtime (French: L'Éternel Printemps) is a c. 1884 sculpture by the French artist Auguste Rodin, depicting a pair of lovers. It was created at the same time as The Gates of Hell and originally intended to be part of it. One of its rare 19th-century original casts belongs to the permanent collection of  Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.One of its largest marble versions belongs to the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: How does Eternal Springtime explain its abstract?

Eternal Springtime (French: L'Éternel Printemps) is a c. 1884 sculpture by the French artist Auguste Rodin, depicting a pair of lovers. It was created at the same time as The Gates of Hell and originally intended to be part of it. One of its rare 19th-century original casts belongs to the permanent collection of  Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.One of its largest marble versions belongs to the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: In Eternal Springtime, how is the abstract discussed?

Eternal Springtime (French: L'Éternel Printemps) is a c. 1884 sculpture by the French artist Auguste Rodin, depicting a pair of lovers. It was created at the same time as The Gates of Hell and originally intended to be part of it. One of its rare 19th-century original casts belongs to the permanent collection of  Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.One of its largest marble versions belongs to the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Focus on Eternal Springtime and explain the Gates of Hell.

Rodin originally conceived of Eternal Springtime as part of The Gates of Hell, one of the representations of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta, but did not include it there because the happiness expressed by the lovers did not seem appropriate to the theme. The Kiss, another famous sculpture by the artist, shares the same origin, but unlike The Kiss in Eternal Springtime the man dominates the composition, sustaining the arching body of his lover that joins him in a passionate kiss.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Explain the Gates of Hell of this artwork, Eternal Springtime.

Rodin originally conceived of Eternal Springtime as part of The Gates of Hell, one of the representations of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta, but did not include it there because the happiness expressed by the lovers did not seem appropriate to the theme. The Kiss, another famous sculpture by the artist, shares the same origin, but unlike The Kiss in Eternal Springtime the man dominates the composition, sustaining the arching body of his lover that joins him in a passionate kiss.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: How does Eternal Springtime explain its Gates of Hell?

Rodin originally conceived of Eternal Springtime as part of The Gates of Hell, one of the representations of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta, but did not include it there because the happiness expressed by the lovers did not seem appropriate to the theme. The Kiss, another famous sculpture by the artist, shares the same origin, but unlike The Kiss in Eternal Springtime the man dominates the composition, sustaining the arching body of his lover that joins him in a passionate kiss.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: In Eternal Springtime, how is the Gates of Hell discussed?

Rodin originally conceived of Eternal Springtime as part of The Gates of Hell, one of the representations of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta, but did not include it there because the happiness expressed by the lovers did not seem appropriate to the theme. The Kiss, another famous sculpture by the artist, shares the same origin, but unlike The Kiss in Eternal Springtime the man dominates the composition, sustaining the arching body of his lover that joins him in a passionate kiss.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Focus on Eternal Springtime and explain the Description.

Rodin took the woman's torso, with its arched pose, from the Torso of Adele that appears in the upper left corner of the tympanum on The Gates of Hell; the model was Adele Abruzzesi, originally from Italy, and for the man Lou Tellegen. However, at the time of his creation of Eternal Springtime, he was in a romantic relationship with Camille Claudel, and Reine-Marie Paris, the granddaughter of Claudel's brother Paul Claudel, has suggested that traces of her can be discerned in the woman of this piece and in other female figures prominent in works he created in the mid-1880s.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Explain the Description of this artwork, Eternal Springtime.

Rodin took the woman's torso, with its arched pose, from the Torso of Adele that appears in the upper left corner of the tympanum on The Gates of Hell; the model was Adele Abruzzesi, originally from Italy, and for the man Lou Tellegen. However, at the time of his creation of Eternal Springtime, he was in a romantic relationship with Camille Claudel, and Reine-Marie Paris, the granddaughter of Claudel's brother Paul Claudel, has suggested that traces of her can be discerned in the woman of this piece and in other female figures prominent in works he created in the mid-1880s.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: How does Eternal Springtime explain its Description?

Rodin took the woman's torso, with its arched pose, from the Torso of Adele that appears in the upper left corner of the tympanum on The Gates of Hell; the model was Adele Abruzzesi, originally from Italy, and for the man Lou Tellegen. However, at the time of his creation of Eternal Springtime, he was in a romantic relationship with Camille Claudel, and Reine-Marie Paris, the granddaughter of Claudel's brother Paul Claudel, has suggested that traces of her can be discerned in the woman of this piece and in other female figures prominent in works he created in the mid-1880s.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: In Eternal Springtime, how is the Description discussed?

Rodin took the woman's torso, with its arched pose, from the Torso of Adele that appears in the upper left corner of the tympanum on The Gates of Hell; the model was Adele Abruzzesi, originally from Italy, and for the man Lou Tellegen. However, at the time of his creation of Eternal Springtime, he was in a romantic relationship with Camille Claudel, and Reine-Marie Paris, the granddaughter of Claudel's brother Paul Claudel, has suggested that traces of her can be discerned in the woman of this piece and in other female figures prominent in works he created in the mid-1880s.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Focus on Eternal Springtime and explain the Versions.

The work was reproduced several times in bronze and marble. A marble version dating to c. 1901 was sold at auction in May 2016 for a then record-breaking $20 million. One of Rodin’s earliest versions, cast in 1898 by Alexis Rudier's Foundry, which worked directly with Rodin, was bought in 1913 by Calouste Gulbenkian and nowadays is available to public access in his museum. An 1884 version is now on display at the National Museum of Decorative Arts, bought when the palace was a private residence around 1911.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: Explain the Versions of this artwork, Eternal Springtime.

The work was reproduced several times in bronze and marble. A marble version dating to c. 1901 was sold at auction in May 2016 for a then record-breaking $20 million. One of Rodin’s earliest versions, cast in 1898 by Alexis Rudier's Foundry, which worked directly with Rodin, was bought in 1913 by Calouste Gulbenkian and nowadays is available to public access in his museum. An 1884 version is now on display at the National Museum of Decorative Arts, bought when the palace was a private residence around 1911.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: How does Eternal Springtime explain its Versions?

The work was reproduced several times in bronze and marble. A marble version dating to c. 1901 was sold at auction in May 2016 for a then record-breaking $20 million. One of Rodin’s earliest versions, cast in 1898 by Alexis Rudier's Foundry, which worked directly with Rodin, was bought in 1913 by Calouste Gulbenkian and nowadays is available to public access in his museum. An 1884 version is now on display at the National Museum of Decorative Arts, bought when the palace was a private residence around 1911.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Eternal Springtime

Prompt: In Eternal Springtime, how is the Versions discussed?

The work was reproduced several times in bronze and marble. A marble version dating to c. 1901 was sold at auction in May 2016 for a then record-breaking $20 million. One of Rodin’s earliest versions, cast in 1898 by Alexis Rudier's Foundry, which worked directly with Rodin, was bought in 1913 by Calouste Gulbenkian and nowadays is available to public access in his museum. An 1884 version is now on display at the National Museum of Decorative Arts, bought when the palace was a private residence around 1911.

National Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires

Category:Collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon


Large Arch

Prompt: Focus on Large Arch and explain the abstract.

Large Arch (LH 503b) is an outdoor sculpture by British sculptor Henry Moore. It was installed in 1971 and is located in the outdoor plaza of the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library in Columbus, Indiana. Xenia and J. Irwin Miller commissioned the sculpture and gave it to the library. The sculpture is nearly 20 feet tall and is made of sandcast bronze that has been patinated.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Large Arch.

Large Arch (LH 503b) is an outdoor sculpture by British sculptor Henry Moore. It was installed in 1971 and is located in the outdoor plaza of the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library in Columbus, Indiana. Xenia and J. Irwin Miller commissioned the sculpture and gave it to the library. The sculpture is nearly 20 feet tall and is made of sandcast bronze that has been patinated.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: How does Large Arch explain its abstract?

Large Arch (LH 503b) is an outdoor sculpture by British sculptor Henry Moore. It was installed in 1971 and is located in the outdoor plaza of the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library in Columbus, Indiana. Xenia and J. Irwin Miller commissioned the sculpture and gave it to the library. The sculpture is nearly 20 feet tall and is made of sandcast bronze that has been patinated.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: In Large Arch, how is the abstract discussed?

Large Arch (LH 503b) is an outdoor sculpture by British sculptor Henry Moore. It was installed in 1971 and is located in the outdoor plaza of the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library in Columbus, Indiana. Xenia and J. Irwin Miller commissioned the sculpture and gave it to the library. The sculpture is nearly 20 feet tall and is made of sandcast bronze that has been patinated.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: Focus on Large Arch and explain the Description.

Large Arch is an abstract bronze sculpture of an arch created by Henry Moore. The shape of the sculpture suggests human hip and leg bones, while the negative space on the interior of the arch suggests an abstracted human torso with head. It is 19 feet 6 inches tall. The width of the sculpture at its base is 12 feet 3 inches wide, but is 13 feet 9 inches at its widest at the top.  While the sculpture is hollow, it weighs approximately 11,000 lb (5,000 kg). Despite the fact that it was sandcast in 50 sections and then assembled in Germany before being brought on site in 1971, the surface of the sculpture is smooth with little evidence of the joins.  The surface of the sculpture was originally patinated green, and was expected to change very little with age.  Moore described the original color as Paris green.  As of 2014 the patina has progressed, with a light blue patina forming in areas that are most exposed to rain. The deep wrinkles and rough surface of the sculpture is part of the original design, which I.M. Pei has described as "elephant skin."The sculpture is surrounded by a circular red-brick paved pedestrian plaza.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: Explain the Description of this artwork, Large Arch.

Large Arch is an abstract bronze sculpture of an arch created by Henry Moore. The shape of the sculpture suggests human hip and leg bones, while the negative space on the interior of the arch suggests an abstracted human torso with head. It is 19 feet 6 inches tall. The width of the sculpture at its base is 12 feet 3 inches wide, but is 13 feet 9 inches at its widest at the top.  While the sculpture is hollow, it weighs approximately 11,000 lb (5,000 kg). Despite the fact that it was sandcast in 50 sections and then assembled in Germany before being brought on site in 1971, the surface of the sculpture is smooth with little evidence of the joins.  The surface of the sculpture was originally patinated green, and was expected to change very little with age.  Moore described the original color as Paris green.  As of 2014 the patina has progressed, with a light blue patina forming in areas that are most exposed to rain. The deep wrinkles and rough surface of the sculpture is part of the original design, which I.M. Pei has described as "elephant skin."The sculpture is surrounded by a circular red-brick paved pedestrian plaza.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: How does Large Arch explain its Description?

Large Arch is an abstract bronze sculpture of an arch created by Henry Moore. The shape of the sculpture suggests human hip and leg bones, while the negative space on the interior of the arch suggests an abstracted human torso with head. It is 19 feet 6 inches tall. The width of the sculpture at its base is 12 feet 3 inches wide, but is 13 feet 9 inches at its widest at the top.  While the sculpture is hollow, it weighs approximately 11,000 lb (5,000 kg). Despite the fact that it was sandcast in 50 sections and then assembled in Germany before being brought on site in 1971, the surface of the sculpture is smooth with little evidence of the joins.  The surface of the sculpture was originally patinated green, and was expected to change very little with age.  Moore described the original color as Paris green.  As of 2014 the patina has progressed, with a light blue patina forming in areas that are most exposed to rain. The deep wrinkles and rough surface of the sculpture is part of the original design, which I.M. Pei has described as "elephant skin."The sculpture is surrounded by a circular red-brick paved pedestrian plaza.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: In Large Arch, how is the Description discussed?

Large Arch is an abstract bronze sculpture of an arch created by Henry Moore. The shape of the sculpture suggests human hip and leg bones, while the negative space on the interior of the arch suggests an abstracted human torso with head. It is 19 feet 6 inches tall. The width of the sculpture at its base is 12 feet 3 inches wide, but is 13 feet 9 inches at its widest at the top.  While the sculpture is hollow, it weighs approximately 11,000 lb (5,000 kg). Despite the fact that it was sandcast in 50 sections and then assembled in Germany before being brought on site in 1971, the surface of the sculpture is smooth with little evidence of the joins.  The surface of the sculpture was originally patinated green, and was expected to change very little with age.  Moore described the original color as Paris green.  As of 2014 the patina has progressed, with a light blue patina forming in areas that are most exposed to rain. The deep wrinkles and rough surface of the sculpture is part of the original design, which I.M. Pei has described as "elephant skin."The sculpture is surrounded by a circular red-brick paved pedestrian plaza.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: Focus on Large Arch and explain the Historical information.

The artist Henry Moore cites his inspiration was the monument of Stonehenge in England, as well as the shoulders of a man. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) owns a smaller version of the bronze arch by Moore titled Large Torso, which dates from 1962 to 1963, before the creation of the Columbus Large Arch or the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library.I.M. Pei had the idea of a large work of art to sit in the Fifth Street public plaza that would pull together the space between his newly built Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, the Irwin Gardens by Henry A. Phillips (just east of the library) and the First Christian Church by Eliel Saarinen (across the street).  Pei wanted a sculpture that could be touched and walked through. After seeing Henry Moore's Large Torso at the MoMA and watching his daughter run and play within the small arch, Pei asked Henry Moore to make an arch twice as big, with enough for two adults to walk through side-by-side comfortably. Moore agreed so long as it was not so large or positioned in such a way that an automobile could pass through it. Moore also gave over control of the positioning of the arch within the plaza, trusting Pei and J. Irwin Miller to consider how visitors may approach as well as the position of the sun.In September 1970, Xenia Irwin Miller, co-commissioner of Large Arch, presented a 24-minute color film on the work of Henry Moore which was produced by the Encyclopædia Britannica Education corporation.  Miller also presented her visit with Moore at his studio in England in July 1970.Large Arch was sandcast in 40-50 segments in Berlin, West Germany by the Herman Noack Foundry. Each casting is about a quarter of an inch thick. It was shipped to New Orleans, barged up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to New Albany, Indiana and was then driven north to Columbus, Indiana on a flat bed trailer on Interstate 65 to Columbus where it was delivered on a truck and assembled as a single piece.  Before its installation, a temporary plywood sculpture was erected in late 1970 to give an idea of the size of the sculpture.The dedication ceremony of the library did not occur until the installation of Moore's sculpture on May 16, 1971, two years after the library building was complete.   I.M. Pei was in attendance and gave a short speech emphasizing the use of the plaza where Large Arch is placed as a public space that emphasizes the importance of the nearby buildings.  Also present at the dedication were Carl Weinhardt, director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at the time, Kenneth D. B. Carruthers, who worked with I.M. Pei on the library's design, and Robert Indiana, artist. Henry Moore did not attend.Even before its placement, Large Arch was considered a controversial choice by the surrounding community. It has been given colloquial names like"Dentist's Dream," "Large Hip Joint" and "The Big Bone." The arch is now featured on tours provided by the Columbus Area Visitor Center, and before he died, Moore considered it to be one of his most important works. It was also featured prominently in the book Henry Moore in America by Harry J. Seldis.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: Explain the Historical information of this artwork, Large Arch.

The artist Henry Moore cites his inspiration was the monument of Stonehenge in England, as well as the shoulders of a man. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) owns a smaller version of the bronze arch by Moore titled Large Torso, which dates from 1962 to 1963, before the creation of the Columbus Large Arch or the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library.I.M. Pei had the idea of a large work of art to sit in the Fifth Street public plaza that would pull together the space between his newly built Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, the Irwin Gardens by Henry A. Phillips (just east of the library) and the First Christian Church by Eliel Saarinen (across the street).  Pei wanted a sculpture that could be touched and walked through. After seeing Henry Moore's Large Torso at the MoMA and watching his daughter run and play within the small arch, Pei asked Henry Moore to make an arch twice as big, with enough for two adults to walk through side-by-side comfortably. Moore agreed so long as it was not so large or positioned in such a way that an automobile could pass through it. Moore also gave over control of the positioning of the arch within the plaza, trusting Pei and J. Irwin Miller to consider how visitors may approach as well as the position of the sun.In September 1970, Xenia Irwin Miller, co-commissioner of Large Arch, presented a 24-minute color film on the work of Henry Moore which was produced by the Encyclopædia Britannica Education corporation.  Miller also presented her visit with Moore at his studio in England in July 1970.Large Arch was sandcast in 40-50 segments in Berlin, West Germany by the Herman Noack Foundry. Each casting is about a quarter of an inch thick. It was shipped to New Orleans, barged up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to New Albany, Indiana and was then driven north to Columbus, Indiana on a flat bed trailer on Interstate 65 to Columbus where it was delivered on a truck and assembled as a single piece.  Before its installation, a temporary plywood sculpture was erected in late 1970 to give an idea of the size of the sculpture.The dedication ceremony of the library did not occur until the installation of Moore's sculpture on May 16, 1971, two years after the library building was complete.   I.M. Pei was in attendance and gave a short speech emphasizing the use of the plaza where Large Arch is placed as a public space that emphasizes the importance of the nearby buildings.  Also present at the dedication were Carl Weinhardt, director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at the time, Kenneth D. B. Carruthers, who worked with I.M. Pei on the library's design, and Robert Indiana, artist. Henry Moore did not attend.Even before its placement, Large Arch was considered a controversial choice by the surrounding community. It has been given colloquial names like"Dentist's Dream," "Large Hip Joint" and "The Big Bone." The arch is now featured on tours provided by the Columbus Area Visitor Center, and before he died, Moore considered it to be one of his most important works. It was also featured prominently in the book Henry Moore in America by Harry J. Seldis.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin


Large Arch

Prompt: How does Large Arch explain its Historical information?

The artist Henry Moore cites his inspiration was the monument of Stonehenge in England, as well as the shoulders of a man. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) owns a smaller version of the bronze arch by Moore titled Large Torso, which dates from 1962 to 1963, before the creation of the Columbus Large Arch or the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library.I.M. Pei had the idea of a large work of art to sit in the Fifth Street public plaza that would pull together the space between his newly built Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, the Irwin Gardens by Henry A. Phillips (just east of the library) and the First Christian Church by Eliel Saarinen (across the street).  Pei wanted a sculpture that could be touched and walked through. After seeing Henry Moore's Large Torso at the MoMA and watching his daughter run and play within the small arch, Pei asked Henry Moore to make an arch twice as big, with enough for two adults to walk through side-by-side comfortably. Moore agreed so long as it was not so large or positioned in such a way that an automobile could pass through it. Moore also gave over control of the positioning of the arch within the plaza, trusting Pei and J. Irwin Miller to consider how visitors may approach as well as the position of the sun.In September 1970, Xenia Irwin Miller, co-commissioner of Large Arch, presented a 24-minute color film on the work of Henry Moore which was produced by the Encyclopædia Britannica Education corporation.  Miller also presented her visit with Moore at his studio in England in July 1970.Large Arch was sandcast in 40-50 segments in Berlin, West Germany by the Herman Noack Foundry. Each casting is about a quarter of an inch thick. It was shipped to New Orleans, barged up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to New Albany, Indiana and was then driven north to Columbus, Indiana on a flat bed trailer on Interstate 65 to Columbus where it was delivered on a truck and assembled as a single piece.  Before its installation, a temporary plywood sculpture was erected in late 1970 to give an idea of the size of the sculpture.The dedication ceremony of the library did not occur until the installation of Moore's sculpture on May 16, 1971, two years after the library building was complete.   I.M. Pei was in attendance and gave a short speech emphasizing the use of the plaza where Large Arch is placed as a public space that emphasizes the importance of the nearby buildings.  Also present at the dedication were Carl Weinhardt, director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at the time, Kenneth D. B. Carruthers, who worked with I.M. Pei on the library's design, and Robert Indiana, artist. Henry Moore did not attend.Even before its placement, Large Arch was considered a controversial choice by the surrounding community. It has been given colloquial names like"Dentist's Dream," "Large Hip Joint" and "The Big Bone." The arch is now featured on tours provided by the Columbus Area Visitor Center, and before he died, Moore considered it to be one of his most important works. It was also featured prominently in the book Henry Moore in America by Harry J. Seldis.

Category:Vandalized works of art in Indiana

Complex patina and surface texture of ''Large Arch''

File:Surface detail of Large Arch by Henry Moore.jpg

First Christian Church (Columbus, Indiana)

List of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana

Category:Public art in Columbus, Indiana

File:Detail of Large Arch, signature of artist Henry Moore.jpg

Moore's signature at the base of ''Large Arch'' and the foundry mark "H. Noack" in Berlin