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Female Figure, Kantana, Early-mid 20th century
Kantana

Female Figure

Early-mid 20th century · Sculpture

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Female Figure” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked
In this state since
Source
The museum
On the mapMuseum page

About the sculpture

The function of figures like this one would have varied from community to community. The powdery ochre rubbed onto its surface has spiritual connotations, and this pigment has been applied in imitation of a real-life practice of coloring the human body. The red abrus seeds pressed into resin on the figure’s chest and head were used in local medicines and suggest healing and danger.

Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0

Details

Accession number
1972.173

What it shows

Abstract figuresMedicineRitualRitual objectsDangerHealingSpiritualSupernatural

In the catalog

SculptureWoodImpressionismModernism20th centuryKantanaArts of AfricaCoastal West AfricaAfrican ArtNigeria

Sources

On view at Art Institute of Chicago

Museum page
The Bedroom, Vincent van Gogh, 1889

Vincent van Gogh

The Bedroom, 1889

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, Georges Seurat, 1884–86, border added 1888–89

Georges Seurat

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884–86, border added 1888–89

Paris Street; Rainy Day, Gustave Caillebotte, 1877

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Two Sisters (On the Terrace), Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881

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Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881

The Basket of Apples, Paul Cézanne, c. 1893

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The Basket of Apples, c. 1893

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), Claude Monet, 1890–91

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Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), 1890–91

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Grant Wood

American Gothic, 1930

Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, 1942

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