The Making of a Sculptor with Renée Ater

Atelier · Jul 2, 2026 · 21m

At the turn of the twentieth century, Paris drew young American artists with the promise of training unavailable at home. For African American artists, it also promised an escape from the racism that governed their professional lives in the United States, though that promise was not always kept.

In this episode, art historian Renée Ater discusses Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller's three formative years in Paris, from her arrival in 1899 and the discrimination she faced at the American Girls' Art Club, to her training under sculptors including Jean-Antonin Carlès, her encounter with Rodin's work at…