1989.27 Stout, Fetish #2

In this dramatic work, Renée Stout has developed an ambitious visual idea, i.e., the interpretation of self as a figure of empowerment. Stout boldly presents herself as a life-sized nkisi figure enshrouded in those accoutrements of power and magic which are characteristic of this Central African sculpture. Nkisi (plural minkisi) is the name given to a traditional fetish figure made by the Yombe of Zaire. The glass or mirror which covers material in the abdomen signifies the  possibility of seeing beyond visible objects. (For example, see the standing female power figure in the Dallas Museum of Art's collection [1969.S.31].)

In a process which took several months, the artist cast her own body in plaster and then painted the cast with several layers of black paint. A mesh collar holds medicine bags while a Niger stamp, dried flowers, and a picture of a young black girl are placed in the glass-covered "medicine pouch" of the torso. Cowrie shells define the eyes of the figure, braided extensions adorn her head, and a pelt of monkey hair forms a dramatic headdress.

Stout's accuracy in conveying the proper size, texture, and shape of the traditional accoutrements indicates her sensitivity to original form, and thus her understanding of the spiritual importance of these assembled materials. In Fetish #2, Stout addresses directly her sense of power and possibility. The slightly upturned gaze of the figure yields an unmistakable air of conviction. In her brilliant execution of idea, Stout creates a sculptural tour de force.

Stout_Renee: ULAN: 500196042

Washington DC (United States): TGN: 7013962

Mixed media (plaster body cast)

cowrie shell: AAT: 300011834

feathers (animal components): AAT: 300400474

glass (material): AAT: 300010797

plaster: AAT: 300014922

casts (sculpture): AAT: 300047806

accoutrements (object groupings): AAT: 300247571

braids (hairstyle): AAT: 300404709

magic: AAT: 300054590

medicines (material): AAT: 300404880

monkeys (animals): AAT: 300250028

photographs: AAT: 300046300

power: AAT: 300374809

protection: AAT: 300164923

sculpture in the round: AAT: 300047264

self-portraits: AAT: 300124534

symbolism: AAT: 300055865

Yombe: AAT: 300016240

Until 1989: Renée Stout, Washington, D.C. [1]

From 1989: Dallas Museum of Art, Metropolitan Life Foundation Purchase Grant, purchased from above

The main source for this provenance is the Dallas Museum of Art object summary dated May 7, 1990, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records object file. 

[1] See the letter and the bill of sale from Renée Stout to M. Carmen Smith of the Dallas Museum of Art, dated July 20, 1989, copy in object file. 

Late-Night Artist Talk, November 19, 2010. 

264282696: UMO

Apply to objects where number equals 1989.27