Nina Mae Fowler British, b. 1981
Fan Girl: Ruby, 2026
pencil on paper, linen, eyelets, ostrich feathers
80 x 60 x 2 cm
31 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 3/4 ins
31 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 3/4 ins
Ruby Dee — Cleveland, Ohio Born in Cleveland and raised in Harlem, Ruby Dee combined a seven-decade acting career with writing and civil-rights activism, often refusing to separate her political...
Ruby Dee — Cleveland, Ohio
Born in Cleveland and raised in Harlem, Ruby Dee combined a seven-decade acting career with writing and civil-rights activism, often refusing to separate her political convictions from her artistic life. The drawing depicts Dee in a publicity still for Buck and the Preacher (1972), capturing a tense moment with her unsmiling gaze. The black feathers initially appear to obscure her body but instead lead the eye towards the sharp object in her hand. Concealment becomes revelation: the seductive, decorative plumage gives way to something potentially threatening. Rather than softening Dee, the feathers sharpen her presence, transforming glamour into a suggestion of hidden strength.
Born in Cleveland and raised in Harlem, Ruby Dee combined a seven-decade acting career with writing and civil-rights activism, often refusing to separate her political convictions from her artistic life. The drawing depicts Dee in a publicity still for Buck and the Preacher (1972), capturing a tense moment with her unsmiling gaze. The black feathers initially appear to obscure her body but instead lead the eye towards the sharp object in her hand. Concealment becomes revelation: the seductive, decorative plumage gives way to something potentially threatening. Rather than softening Dee, the feathers sharpen her presence, transforming glamour into a suggestion of hidden strength.
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