Selma Hortense Burke

Place: Mooresville

Born: 1900

Death: 1995

Biography:

Selma Hortense Burke was a renowned American sculptor and a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance movement. Born on December 31, 1900, in Mooresville, North Carolina, she is best known for her bas relief portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which may have been the model for his image on the obverse of the dime.

Early Life and Education

Burke's interest in sculpture was encouraged by her maternal grandmother, a painter. She attended Winston-Salem State University before graduating in 1924 from the St. Agnes Training School for Nurses in Raleigh. She later moved to Harlem to work as a private nurse and began art classes at Sarah Lawrence College. Burke also worked as a model in art classes to pay for her schooling.

Harlem Renaissance and Career

Burke became involved with the Harlem Renaissance cultural movement through her marriage to writer Claude McKay. She began teaching for the Harlem Community Arts Center under the leadership of sculptor Augusta Savage. Burke's work was also supported by the Works Progress Administration on the New Deal Federal Art Project. One of her notable works from this period is a bust of Booker T. Washington, given to Frederick Douglass High School in Manhattan in 1936. Burke traveled to Europe twice in the 1930s, first on a Rosenwald fellowship to study sculpture in Vienna in 1933-34. She returned in 1936 to study in Paris with Aristide Maillol. While in Paris, she met Henri Matisse, who praised her work. One of her most significant works from this period is "Frau Keller" (1937), a portrait of a German-Jewish woman in response to the rising Nazi threat.

Notable Works and Awards

Some of Burke's notable works include:

• Peace (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, United States)
• Sadness (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, United States)
• Mother and Child (Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, United States)

Burke was awarded the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award in 1979. Her work can be found on Wikioo.org, which features a collection of her sculptures, including "Peace" and "Sadness". For more information on Burke's life and work, visit her page on Wikipedia.

Legacy

Burke's legacy as a sculptor and educator continues to inspire artists today. Her commitment to teaching art is evident in the establishment of the Selman Burke School of Sculpture in New York City. As a pioneer of American sculpture, Burke's work remains an important part of the country's cultural heritage. Visit Wikioo.org to explore her notable works and learn more about this remarkable artist.