Nefertiti

1973

Nefertiti, 1973. John Wilson (American, 1922–2015). Charcoal and lithographic crayon on paper; sheet: 45.7 x 61 cm (18 x 24 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Print Club of Cleveland in honor of Elizabeth Shearer 2018.300 © Estate of John Woodrow Wilson / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY This drawing depicts Nefertiti, a friend of artist John Wilson’s daughter. He created a series of portraits of young women during the 1970s, presenting them on a large scale and from a close-up perspective that countered the marginalization of black Americans in society. Here, Wilson drew with a waxy lithographic crayon to boldly outline Nefertiti’s face, emphasizing her determined but wary expression. The sitter in this drawing went on to become an artist herself.