This vibrant work forms part of The French Collection, a quilt painting series by fêted New York artist Faith Ringgold, which tells the story of Willia, “a fictional African-American artist and artists’ model in 1920s Paris”, to present a “revisionist view” of the School of Paris era (to quote Manhattan’s New Museum). Here, we find Willia posing for Picasso’s revered cubist painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, surrounded by the African masks that so inspired him—thus calling upon viewers to acknowledge African art’s vital, often overlooked impact upon Western art history. Read our interview with Ringgold in the new issue of Elephant, out now!
