Africa Rising II by Barbara Chase-Riboud

In 1997, Barbara Chase-Riboud (born 1939 in Philadelphia; living and working in Paris since 1961) created Africa Rising, a public commission from the United States to honour the lives of the four hundred African-Americans whose remains were discovered beneath Wall Street in New York City. Since 1998, this monument has been displayed in the nearby Ted Weiss Federal Building. In Africa Rising, Chase-Riboud brought together seemingly divergent inspirations that, through her, coexist: the Winged Victory of Samothrace, held at the Louvre; Sarah Baartman (objectified in the 19th century under the name 'Hottentot Venus'); and the features of model Naomi Campbell. In so doing, she created a monument to human beauty and transcendence. Nearly thirty years later, she presents Africa Rising II, for the first time, to the French public, on the grounds of the Louvre and the Tuileries Garden.

With the generous support of the Ford Foundation.

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Barbara Chase-Riboud (born 1939)
Africa Rising II, 2024
Bronze