Description
In the 1870s, artist Frédéric Bazille painted an unnamed Black woman as a flower vendor, offering a clutch of peonies to the viewer.
But what if the flowers were meant for her?
In fiber artist Nneka Jones (@artyouhungry)’s reimagining, the woman is no longer giving the flowers away. She’s receiving them.
Jones points out that even as the woman’s appearance is transformed, echoes of the original remain: the plaid head scarf reappears in a suit jacket, threading together the past with the present.
“Now it feels like these two women are divinely connected through the fibers of memory and identity.”
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🖼️ Frédéric Bazille, “Young Woman with Peonies,” 1870, oil on canvas, 23 x 29 in., Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
📍 West Building Main Floor, Gallery M90
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