Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) was an American and Mexican sculptor and printmaker. Her work spoke to the experiences of working-class people, laborers, and women. In 1946, Catlett moved to Mexico as a guest artist at the printmaking collective, Taller de Gráfica Popular. Here, she is exposed to Mexican social realist techniques and themes that influence her work. The United States government declared her an “undesirable alien,” which impaired her ability to return to the United States. In 1962, she became a Mexican citizen. Catlett received her BS at Howard University in 1935. She received her MFA in sculpture from the University of Iowa in 1940.