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Beulah Ecton Woodard

American sculptor, 1895–1955

BiographyBeulah Ecton Woodard was an African American sculptor and painter active in California. Born in Ohio, her family moved to the Los Angeles area, where she attended Los Angeles Polytechnic High School and studied architectural drawing. She later took courses at the Otis Art Institute, the Los Angeles Art School, and the University of Southern California. She was fascinated with African culture by age 12, and she researched African jewelry, hairstyles, and headdresses for her masks and busts. She had a solo exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum in 1935--the first solo show at this museum for an African American artist. Her work was collected by Miriam Matthews, a prominent Los Angeles collector, and the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company.

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