Torso of a Dancer

Copied Marshall M. Fredericks, Bedi-Makky Art Foundry Corp., Torso of a Dancer, 1938, polished bronze on stone base, 32 1⁄2 x 20 1⁄4 x 9 in. (82.6 x 51.5 x 22.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Marshall M. and Rosalind C. Fredericks, 1996.60, © 1978, Marshall M. Fredericks

Artwork Details

Title
Torso of a Dancer
Artists
Bedi-Makky Art Foundry Corp.
Date
1938
Location
Dimensions
32 1⁄2 x 20 1⁄4 x 9 in. (82.6 x 51.5 x 22.9 cm.)
Copyright
© 1978, Marshall M. Fredericks
Credit Line
Gift of Marshall M. and Rosalind C. Fredericks
Mediums
Mediums Description
polished bronze on stone base
Classifications
Keywords
  • Performing arts — dance
  • Figure female — torso
Object Number
1996.60
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1996.60

Artwork Description

Marshall Fredericks originally made Torso of a Dancer in black marble and later cast it in this polished bronze. The small scale is unusual for Fredericks, who was known for large works, often of multiple figures, in civic spaces. This torso, even without limbs or a head, suggests a body and a spirit striving toward heaven, an effect that Fredericks used in nearly all of his monumental works. The highly polished patina of the bronze reflects colors, lights, and shadows around the sculpture, further animating the space it inhabits.