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Richard Cleaver, Head and Shoulders, 2007, hand-built ceramics, freshwater pearls, garnets, crystals, cornelian sapphires, bronze wire, metal, goldleaf, and oil paint, overall: 11 1⁄4 × 7 1⁄2 × 4 5⁄8 in. (28.6 × 19.1 × 11.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Robert and Sharon Buchanan, 2021.41.3
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Head and Shoulders
- Artist
- Date
- 2007
- Location
- Dimensions
- overall: 11 1⁄4 × 7 1⁄2 × 4 5⁄8 in. (28.6 × 19.1 × 11.7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Robert and Sharon Buchanan
- Mediums Description
- hand-built ceramics, freshwater pearls, garnets, crystals, cornelian sapphires, bronze wire, metal, goldleaf, and oil paint
- Subjects
- Figure — bust
- Object Number
- 2021.41.3
Artwork Description
Richard Cleaver grew up within a devout Catholic family. Spending hours in church, he was fascinated with the rituals and the objects held in ornate drawers and tabernacles. He recreates these mystical spaces in this ceramic self-portrait, embellished with crystals, gems, and a golden flame representing the presence of the Holy Spirit. Beneath the cheerful veneer, doors open to reveal Cleaver’s true self as a gay man. The work speaks to his longing to reveal himself, to be able to metamorphize like the butterfly on his shoulder.
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022
Exhibitions
May 13, 2022–April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.