Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 5 (1979) Winner
Barbara Chase-Riboud
バーバラ・チェイス＝リブー
Barbara Chase-Riboud
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1939-06-26 （Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States）
- Nationality
- United States, France
- Languages
- English, French
- Residence History
- Philadelphia (birthplace) → London (residence) → Paris (long-term residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Visual artist, Sculptor, Novelist, Poet
- Active Years
- 1955-
- Influenced By
- Toni Morrison (editor/supporter), Boris Blai (instructor)
- Influenced
- Contemporary writers and sculptors exploring race and history
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia High School for Girls | — | — | — | 1948–1952 | United States |
| Tyler School of Art, Temple University | — | School of Fine Arts | BFA | 1952–1956 | United States |
| American Academy in Rome (fellowship) | — | — | — | 1956–1957 | Italy |
| Yale University School of Art | — | Graduate School of Art | MFA | 1958–1960 | United States |
Philadelphia High School for Girls
Period:
1948–1952
Year of Graduation:
1952
Country:
United States
Graduated summa cum laude
Tyler School of Art, Temple University
School of Fine Arts
Degree:
BFA
Period:
1952–1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
United States
Studied sculpture, printmaking, color theory, etc.
American Academy in Rome (fellowship)
Period:
1956–1957
Year of Graduation:
1957
Country:
Italy
John Hay Whitney fellowship; created first direct wax-casting sculptures in Rome
Yale University School of Art
Graduate School of Art
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1958–1960
Year of Graduation:
1960
Country:
United States
Received MFA; one of the first African-American women to earn the degree at Yale
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | John Hay Whitney Fellowship | — | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1979 | Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize | Sally Hemings (novel) | フィクション | — | 受賞 |
| 1988 | Carl Sandburg Prize | Portrait of a Nude Woman as Cleopatra (poetry) | 詩 | — | 受賞 |
| 1996 | Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres | — | — | Government of France | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Legion d'Honneur | — | — | Government of France | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (nomination) | Hottentot Venus | フィクション | Hurston/Wright Foundation | ノミネート |
| 2020 | Anonymous Was A Woman | — | — | Rockefeller Foundation (program) | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | College Art Association / Women's Caucus for Art | 受賞 |
John Hay Whitney Fellowship
1957
Result:
受賞
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
1979
Work:
Sally Hemings (novel)
Category:
フィクション
Result:
受賞
Carl Sandburg Prize
1988
Work:
Portrait of a Nude Woman as Cleopatra (poetry)
Category:
詩
Result:
受賞
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
1996
Organization:
Government of France
Result:
受賞
Legion d'Honneur
2022
Organization:
Government of France
Result:
受賞
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (nomination)
2004
Work:
Hottentot Venus
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
Hurston/Wright Foundation
Result:
ノミネート
Anonymous Was A Woman
2020
Organization:
Rockefeller Foundation (program)
Result:
受賞
Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award
2007
Organization:
College Art Association / Women's Caucus for Art
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Sally Hemings: A Novel
1979 Historical novel / FictionA fictionalized account of the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his enslaved woman Sally Hemings, giving Hemings a rich interior life. The novel provoked controversy and became an international bestseller.
SlaveryMixed-race identityWomen's voice
Adaptations
- [TV miniseries (related)] Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000)
Valide: A Novel of the Harem
1986 Historical novelA historical novel set in the Ottoman harem exploring slavery, power, and women's roles.
HaremPower and sexualityHistorical memory
Echo of Lions
1989 Historical novelA historical novel about the 1839 Amistad slave-ship revolt, focusing on the slave trade and resistance.
Slave revoltJustice and memory
The President's Daughter
1994 Historical novelA follow-up imagining the life of Harriet Hemings (portrayed as Jefferson's mixed-race daughter), exploring passing and racial mobility.
PassingFamily history
Hottentot Venus
2003 Historical novel / FictionA novel about Sarah Baartman (the 'Hottentot Venus'), who was exhibited in 19th-century Europe; examines racism and the politics of the body.
RacismPolitics of the bodyColonialism
The Great Mrs. Elias
2022 NovelA recent novel published in 2022. Detailed synopsis omitted here.
Bibliography
- From Memphis & Peking (poetry, 1974)
- Sally Hemings (novel, 1979)
- Valide (novel, 1986)
- Echo of Lions (novel, 1989)
- The President's Daughter (novel, 1994)
- Hottentot Venus (novel, 2003)
- Everytime a Knot is Undone, a God is Released (poetry, 2014)
- I Always Knew: A Memoir (2022)
Adaptations
- Attempts to adapt Sally Hemings for TV (CBS dropped earlier mini-series plans; related miniseries aired in 2000)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Poetic, metaphor-rich proseHistoricized fictional narrativeLayered multiple perspectives
- Recurring Motifs
- Slavery and memoryWomen's voice and agencyBody and racial representation
Legacy
Chase-Riboud is internationally acclaimed as a sculptor, poet, and novelist; her novel Sally Hemings had significant cultural impact. Her works are held by major museums and she has been the subject of major retrospectives, including a large Paris-wide exhibition in 2024–2025.
Museums
- Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York City
- Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia
- Whitney Museum of American Art New York City
- Centre Pompidou Paris
Academic Societies
- Women's Caucus for Art
- College Art Association
Archives
- Stuart A. Rose Library, Emory University (Barbara Chase-Riboud papers)
In Popular Culture
- Sally Hemings generated significant public debate and was involved in attempts at television adaptation and related dramatizations.
- A major multi-institution Paris exhibition in 2024–2025 showcased her work across eight institutions, attracting wide attention.
Quotes
-
In place of civic myths that deny America's mixed-race beginnings, Chase-Riboud turns to the Hemings family to unveil the historical presence of antebellum interracial relationships and the possibilities of a post-civil rights multiracial community.
Source: Salamishah Tillet, Sites of Slavery (quoted) (2012)
Trivia
- One of the first African-American women to receive an MFA from Yale.
- Sally Hemings sold over one million hardcover copies.
- She sued DreamWorks over similarities between Echo of Lions and the film Amistad and settled.
- Holds dual citizenship in the United States and France.