Spotlight On: Augusta Savage

Savage with her sculpture Realization in 1938. Photograph: Andrew Herman

Augusta Savage working on a sculpture in New York in 1938. Credit: Hansel Mieth/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Today we are shining a spotlight on Augusta Savage (1892 – 1962). Augusta was an American sculptor and educator. Throughout her life she battled racism and worked for equal rights to secure a place for African American women in the art world.In 1939, Augusta was the first African American woman to open her own art gallery in America – the Salon of Contemporary Negro Art. Devoted to showcasing the work of Black artists, 500 people poured into the opening reception, where Savage announced: “We do not ask any special favors as artists because of our race. We only want to present to you our works and ask you to judge them on their merits.” 

Unidentified photographer. Augusta Savage viewing two of her sculptures, “Susie Q” and “Truckin,” c. 1939.

Augusta Savage, Portrait of a Baby, 1942. Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY.

Augusta Savage, Portrait Head of John Henry, c. 1940. Photograph © 2018 Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Augusta Savage, Harp, 1939. Photograph: 1939 World’s Fair Committee and the Artist

Augusta Savage, Gwendolyn Knight, 1934–35. Courtesy of the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art.

Augusta Savage, Gamin, c. 1930. Courtesy of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida.