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Jacob Lawrence
American, born 1917

Marionettes, 1952
Tempera on gesso panel

Purchase with funds from Edith G. and Phillip A. Rhodes
and the National Endowment for the Arts, 1980.224

Marionettes is an unusual subject for Jacob Lawrence,
who typically finds inspiration in historical themes of
the African American struggle for freedom and social
justice. This painting is from a group of works done in
1952 on the subject of performance and theatrical illu-
sion - works in which role-playing and manipulation
are recurring themes.