Rare Earth Wishbone

Media - 2001.75A-C - SAAM-2001.75A-C_1 - 64958
Copied José Chardiet, Rare Earth Wishbone, 1996, glass, paint, copper, 16 1216 127 12 in. (41.941.919.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sonia and Isaac Luski, 2001.75A-C

Artwork Details

Title
Rare Earth Wishbone
Date
1996
Dimensions
16 1216 127 12 in. (41.941.919.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Sonia and Isaac Luski
Mediums Description
glass, paint, copper
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract
Object Number
2001.75A-C

Artwork Description

Rare Earth Wishbone is one of a series of José Chardiet’s sculptures that fuse African totems with the intense colors and physical energy of Caribbean folk art. The abstract figure wearing a tall copper collar recalls African talismans of women in childbirth. The figure seems to reach upward even as the “legs” plunge into the red, brown, and green glass of the base, suggesting a cycle of birth, death, and return to the earth.