A Boy Named Alligator
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “A Boy Named Alligator” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Chicago artist Kathleen Blackshear portrayed this young field worker named Alligator amid a rhythmic, stylized landscape that reflects her interest in modernist form. Blackshear was born in rural Navasota, Texas, and continued to spend summers there after she moved north. She defied the racial constraints still prevalent in Texas by befriending African American workers on nearby cotton farms and brought forth their individuality through her progressive approach to portraiture. Although cotton cultivation in the region was marked by the brutal legacy of enslavement and ongoing injustices, Blackshear here centers Alligator—a name or nickname that itself evokes a terrible history of violence against black children—as a laborer whose skills helped cultivate this lush landscape.
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In Chicago, Blackshear was an influential teacher at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1926 to 1961, and an important mentor to young artists including Margaret Burroughs and Eldzier Cortor.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 1991.160
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
