Historical Profile: Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Framingham, MA. - Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (June 9, 1877 - March 18, 1968) was a prolific African-American female sculptor. Fuller was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was also a prominent painter, poet, and theater designer. Fuller started her artistic career at the Philadelphia Museum and School of Industrial Art. After graduating in 1899, she moved to Paris, France to study at the Academie Colarossi. While in France, Fuller was mentored by American civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois, American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Rodin, often considered the founder of modern sculpture, inspired Fuller's passion for natural and emotive forms. During the Harlem Renaissance, Fuller was described as one of the most imaginative African-American artists of her generation.
Fuller died at the age of 90-years-old in Framingham, Massachusetts. The Danforth Art Museum, which is located in Framingham, is home to the Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller Collection. The museum collection contains almost seventy years of Fuller's work. Fuller's first studio was located in Framingham, Massachusetts. In 2006, The Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller Trust gifted several of her artistic works to the Danforth Museum.
Meta Fuller Collection - Danforth Art Museum |
Fuller was the first African-American woman to receive a U.S. government art commission.
Fuller's artistic work includes: Emancipation - a 1913 plaster sculpture and Phyllis Wheatley - a 1925 painted plaster sculpture.
A quote from the Framingham History Center regarding Fuller's life reads: "Despite being faced with sexism and racism, Meta's genius shone throughout her life and work as she carried herself with pride and dignity that is evident in her timeless pieces of art which are now displayed in various places around the U.S."
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