Paris Studios to Harlem Renaissance Icon: Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (1877 – 1968)

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller overcame racism and sexism, from subtle slights to overt segregation, to become a celebrated sculptor and a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. In Paris, she studied under Auguste Rodin, exhibited at the Salon des Beaux Arts in 1903, and formed a close friendship with W.E.B. Du Bois. Returning to the United States, she dedicated over sixty years to her artistic career, creating powerful and enduring portrayals of Black life.

When Fuller first arrived at the Girls' Art Club in Paris, where she had been accepted as a resident based on her letters to the director, she was met with surprise and rejection solely due to the color of her skin. Despite this painful experience, she persevered and went on to exhibit her work at the Club with the American Woman's Art Association. 

This episode serves as a stark reminder of a troubling instance of racism in Reid Hall's history.

More on Meta Fuller: reidhall.globalcenters.columbia.edu/metafuller

The Reid Hall History Project continues to grow, enriched by the contributions of numerous collaborators: reidhall.globalcenters.columbia.edu

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Hosts: Brunhilde Biebuyck and Marie Doezema

Production: James Allen, Brunhilde Biebuyck, Marie Doezema, Krista Faurie, Charlotte Force, and Anthony Valette

Editing: Theo Albaric

Music: Lili Boulanger’s Nocturne performed by Magdalena Baczewska and Sasha He

With thanks to the Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Centre in Paris

The Columbia Global Paris Center is part of a network of 11 global centers of Columbia University in the City of New York, one of the world's leading academic institutions. The centers serve as knowledge hubs that aim to educate and inspire through research, dialogue, and action. They advance understanding, facilitate partnerships, and build the bridges necessary to tackle our changing world.

Columbia Global brings together the Columbia Global Centers, Columbia World Projects, the Committee on Global Thought, and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination.

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