Head and Shoulders

Richard Cleaver, Head and Shoulders, 2007, hand-built ceramics, freshwater pearls, garnets, crystals, cornelian sapphires, bronze wire, metal, goldleaf, and oil paint, overall: 11 14 × 7 12 × 4 58 in. (28.6 × 19.1 × 11.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Robert and Sharon Buchanan, 2021.41.3

Artwork Details

Title
Head and Shoulders
Date
2007
Dimensions
overall: 11 14 × 7 12 × 4 58 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



Works by this artist (14 items)

Nellie Mae Rowe, At the Art Gallery, 1979, crayon and felt tip on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2021.29.10
At the Art Gallery
Date1979
crayon and felt tip on paper
Not on view
Nellie Mae Rowe, Untitled (Four-Leaf Clover and Little Zebra), 1980, marker on silver gelatin print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2021.29.6
Untitled (Four-Leaf Clover and Little Zebra)
Date1980
marker on silver gelatin print
Not on view
Nellie Mae Rowe, Church Lady in Pants Suit, 1980, crayon and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2021.29.9
Church Lady in Pants Suit
Date1980
crayon and pencil on paper
Not on view
Nellie Mae Rowe, Untitled (Landscape with Black Girl), ca. 1980, crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.131
Untitled (Landscape with Black Girl)
Dateca. 1980
crayon on paper
Not on view

Exhibitions

Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.

More Artworks from the Collection

Nellie Mae Rowe, Church Lady in Pants Suit, 1980, crayon and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, 2021.29.9
Church Lady in Pants Suit
Date1980
crayon and pencil on paper
Not on view
Man Ray, Détachement-soulever le fil-regarder le dessín, 1970, felt-tipped pen and ink, crayon, pencil, string and postage stamp on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1980.102.3
Détachement-soulever le fil-regarder le dessín
Artist
Date1970
felt-tipped pen and ink, crayon, pencil, string and postage stamp on paper
Not on view
Bill Beirne, Cross Reference, production notes (directional diagram), 1976, crayon, pencil, and ink on paper with additions in collage, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund, 2015.6.6, © 1976, Bill Beirne
Cross Reference, production notes (directional diagram)
Date1976
crayon, pencil, and ink on paper with additions in collage
Not on view