Ibeji
1926 to 1950
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
etching and aquatint on wove Arches paper
Dimensions
plate: 35 × 29.7 cm (13 3/4 × 11 11/16 in.) sheet: 58.1 × 47.9 cm (22 7/8 × 18 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson
Accession Number
2024.147.15
Art Historical Context
Vivian Browne's *Ibeji*, created between 1926 and1950, is a etching and aquatint on wove Arches paper measuring 35 × 29.7 cm on the plate. This print, now housed in the National Gallery of Art to the generous gift of Larry D. Brenda A. Thompson, its title from the Yoruba cultural tradition of *Ibeji*—ceremonial twin figures from Nigeria revered for honoring deceased children and ensuring spiritual protection for their living siblings. Browne's choice reflects the mid-20th-century fascination among Western artists with African art, blending modernist printmaking with cultural motifs. The mediu...