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La Baker
La Baker

La Baker

Loïs Mailou Jones (American, 1905–1998)
1977
Medium/TechniqueAcrylic and collage on canvas
Dimensions40 1/2 x 56 1/2 inches
Credit LineGift of the Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust
Accession number2006.1450
On View
On view
ClassificationsPaintings
Description
Working for more than seven decades and in a broad range of styles, Dr. Lois Mailou Jones enjoyed a remarkable career that drew inspiration from France, Haiti, and Africa, as well as her native New England. Born in Boston in 1905, Jones began her career at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, graduating in 1927 with a diploma in design. Her paintings reflect the areas in which she lived, traveled, and studied. Although Jones' experience of being a black artist in America extends from the Harlem Renaissance to the 'roots' movements of the 1980s, her art, according to Christine Temin of the Boston Globe (10/21/92), remained "more personal than political, more sophisticated and complex than propagandistic".In La Baker, bold patterns and figures overlap and intertwine, creating a highly stylized work that unites form and color.  The artist's affinity for abstraction and her African roots is evident in the canvas' rich colors and resolutely two-dimensional style. The title references Josephine Baker (1906-1975) who is known for being the first woman of African descent to star in a major motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world famous entertainer. She is also noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and for being an inspiration to generations of African-American women.
ProvenanceBy 1977, Loïs Mailou Jones (b. 1905- d.1998); by 1998, descent to her estate; 2006, gift of the Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust to the MFA. (Accession date: September 20, 2006)
Copyright© Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust
Veve Voudou II
Loïs Mailou Jones
1963
Ubi Girl from Tai Region
Loïs Mailou Jones
1972
Glyphs
Loïs Mailou Jones
1985
My Mother's Hats
Loïs Mailou Jones
1943
Jeanne, Martiniquaise
Loïs Mailou Jones
1938
Yellow Cup
Loïs Mailou Jones
1938
Two Faiths, Paris
Loïs Mailou Jones
1944
Main Entrance
Loïs Mailou Jones
1946
Portrait of Hudson
Loïs Mailou Jones
1932
Bronze Bodhisattva with Urn
Loïs Mailou Jones
1926