Pregnant Woman

Steve Ashby, Pregnant Woman, ca. late 1960s, painted and carved wood with cloth, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.231
Copied Steve Ashby, Pregnant Woman, ca. late 1960s, painted and carved wood with cloth, 25 3⁄4 x 13 1⁄4 x 8 in. (65.4 x 33.5 x 20.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.231

Artwork Details

Title
Pregnant Woman
Artist
Date
ca. late 1960s
Location
Dimensions
25 3⁄4 x 13 1⁄4 x 8 in. (65.4 x 33.5 x 20.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted and carved wood with cloth
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female — full length
  • State of being — other — pregnant
Object Number
1986.65.231
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.231

Artwork Description

Steve Ashby created this sculpture a few years after his wife died. The woman’s frenzied expression and wild hair suggest that he associated pregnancy with anger and fear, and may relate to the fact that he and his wife did not have any children of their own.