Temptress

Copied Howard Newman, Temptress, 1978, bronze, 14 x 12 1⁄4 x 14 in. (35.5 x 31.1 x 35.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.54

Artwork Details

Title
Temptress
Artist
Date
1978
Location
Dimensions
14 x 12 1⁄4 x 14 in. (35.5 x 31.1 x 35.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • State of being — evil — temptation
  • Figure female
Object Number
1985.30.54

Artwork Description

Howard Newman often portrayed weapons and armor as extensions of the human body. Temptress is a malignant figure of a woman with a cracked, insectlike exoskeleton. She could be Eve in the Garden of Eden, offering fruit from the forbidden tree. Her grotesque armor and threatening features suggest a warning against the seductiveness of power in a modern, industrial world.