Clio (c. 1930): Art, History and Details

Clio (c. 1930) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Kálmán Kubinyi (American, 1906–1973).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

In Greek mythology, Clio is the muse of history. Here, Kubinyi has represented her as a nude woman resting atop a pooling garment bordered by, or perhaps transforming into, flowing water. On the left and along the bottom of the image, plants and fences suggest a garden setting. Lacking Clio’s typical identifying element of an open book, viewers are prompted to find other connections to the study of history within Kubinyi’s print. The sailboats in the background hint at world travel, trade, and warfare.

Object facts

• Title: Clio
• Date: c. 1930
• Creator attribution: Kálmán Kubinyi (American, 1906–1973)
• Culture: America, Ohio, Cleveland
• Type: Print
• Technique: woodcut
• Dimensions: Image: 17.7 x 12.3 cm (6 15/16 x 4 13/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Relief
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1930.169

A detail from the museum

This woodcut won the second prize in its category at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s 1930 May Show.

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

Further reading listed by the museum

• “Front Matter.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 5 (1930): 93, 105.
• Kálmán Kubinyi Entry Card to 1930 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.