Vintage Figurative Black Art Print | African American Wall Decor

"The Model" is the Black figurative art print that earns its place in any serious collection—a semi-abstract study of the human form painted by Antionette Simmons Hodges in 1965, when she was a college student, that carries within it the full confidence of an artist who already knew exactly what she was doing. In black, white, and soft gray, it stands apart from the rest of Hodges's vibrant catalog as proof that she could achieve with restraint what others cannot reach with all the color in the world.

Hodges painted "The Model" during her formative years as an art student, working in the tradition of figurative study that stretches from the Renaissance through the twentieth century's great academies. The figure is rendered with an economy of line that is entirely her own—enough information to feel the presence of a body, enough abstraction to push the image past mere likeness into something archetypal. The absence of color is not a limitation but a decision: the monochromatic palette directs all attention to form, to the quality of the line, to what Hodges already understood about the relationship between a figure and the space it inhabits.

This is vintage figurative art with genuine provenance—not a contemporary print in a retro style, but an actual work from 1965, reproduced with care and fidelity to the original. It belongs in a sophisticated interior: a bedroom, a study, a gallery wall where it can anchor more colorful works with its cool, assured presence.

It makes a distinguished gift for collectors, artists, and anyone who appreciates African American fine art in its most formal and enduring register—for housewarmings, special birthdays, and significant occasions.

This archival-quality giclée print is produced on premium cotton rag paper with museum-grade inks that render Hodges's subtle grayscale with exceptional tonal range and clarity. Available in sizes from 13×9" to 27×19", with select sizes featuring an optional ½" white margin for easy framing.

Antionette Simmons Hodges has built one of the most compelling bodies of work in African American art over six decades—"The Model" shows you where it began, and why it was always going to be extraordinary.