Self-portrait

Loïs Mailou Jones went to Paris in 1937 to escape the racial and gender biases that limited her in the United States. Her year abroad “unshackled” her from prejudice, Jones said, and freed her to explore her full artistic potential. This self-portrait reflects the new confidence she had gained in Paris, showing her at work in her studio with paintbrushes in hand.

The African figurines in the background are key to Jones’s artistic identity. In Paris, she recalled, “All the galleries, the museums were featuring African sculptures, African designs, and I sketched, sketched everything.” Her Parisian instructors objected when she altered her style to incorporate African influences. But if Picasso could find inspiration in African art, Jones argued, her heritage gave her more reason.

Jones continued to practice art while teaching at Howard University in Washington, D.C., for forty-five years. During that time, she returned regularly to her beloved France.