Kiki Smith

American, born Germany, 1954

Born

Kiki Smith (American, born Germany, 1954). Born, 2002. Bronze, edition 2/3 and 1 AP; 39 x 101 x 24 inches (99.1 x 256.5 x 61 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Sarah Norton Goodyear Fund, 2002 (2002:2). © 2002 Kiki Smith.

© Kiki Smith

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

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© Kiki Smith

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Kiki Smith

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Born, 2002

Artwork Details

Collection Highlight

Materials

bronze

Edition:

2/3 plus 1 artist's proof

Measurements

overall: 39 x 101 x 24 inches (99.06 x 256.54 x 60.96 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Sarah Norton Goodyear Fund, 2002

Accession ID

2002:2

Born depicts a small doe giving birth to a full-grown woman. Presented in an idealized, classical style, this particular duo evokes Diana, the ancient Roman goddess of nature and the hunt. Diana was believed to have the power to commune with animals, and deer were especially sacred to her. Deer also feature prominently in the spiritual beliefs of a number of Native American cultures, reflecting the importance of our relationship to the natural world. This idea is also very important to Kiki Smith, and she has said, “The fate of humankind is intimately interconnected with the health of the environment.” If we destroy the environment, symbolized in this work by the deer, we, too, will cease to exist.

Label from Menagerie: Animals on View, March 11–June 4, 2017