Chicks
Efrain Almeida
Brazilian, born 1964
2006-07
Efrain Almeida carved thirty-two tiny chicks from umburana wood and finished them in oil paint to conjure a vulnerable, domestic flock and draw viewers down to their scale.
On the polished gallery floor the small, warmly hued figures—each in a slightly different pose—read like a frozen, intimate murmuration whose delicate shadows and spacing make the emptiness of the room part of the work.
By elevating a humble, folkloric subject through repetition and careful craft, Almeida links Brazilian wood‑carving traditions to contemporary sculpture and invites reflection on community, care, and how museums stage living forms.
Medium
Umburana wood and oil paint, 32 pieces
Dimensions
Each approximately 3 1/8 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2" (7.9 x 14 x 14 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Andrea and José Olympio da Veiga Pereira in honor of Geraldo Jordão Pereira through the Latin American and Caribbean Fund
Accession
573.2009
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
