In the history of art, few sculptors fully understood the nuances of the human form as well as Richmond Barthe (1901-1989). Yet, this black sculptor is largely unknown outside of art-world circles.

“His is such a poignant and sad story in many ways,” says Cecile Shellman, artistic director at August Wilson Center, where the traveling exhibit “Richmond Barthe: His Life in Art” is on display. “He was a closeted gay artist, and an African-American artist, which bore a lot of stigma. So, he wasn't able to work as freely as he could have.”

And yet, throughout a 60-plus year career as a sculptor, Barthe created numerous figure studies, as well as busts of well-known black public figures, such as singer Josephine Baker and educator, author and orator Booker T. Washington.

Barthe also created several large statues for public spaces, most notably one of journalist Arthur Brisbane, on permanent display in New York's Central Park, and a statue of Haitian revolutionary hero Toussaint L'Ouverture, which stands in front of the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions of Los Angeles, the exhibit is comprised of 30 bronze busts and figures that showcase Barthe's classically conceived approach to sculpture — one that imbued his subjects with a humble dignity that countered black stereotypes during the time they were created, especially images of black males in popular culture.

Born in 1901 to Creole parents in Bay St. Louis, Miss., Barthe began his formal art education at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1924 with the intent of becoming a painter. But instead, upon the recommendation of a teacher, he began sculpting as a way to better understand painting. From then on, it became his primary mode of expression. And, after graduating, he moved to New York City, where he became an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance during the 1930s.

Moving from Chicago to Harlem, then to downtown Manhattan, were keys to his success. Each year brought more and more critical acclaim, which translated into more commissions and more exhibitions. In 1933, the Caz-Delbo Gallery included Barthe in a group exhibit in New York with the likes of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro.

However, by the late 1940s, the stress of success in New York had taken its toll on Barthe. With his nerves at a breaking point, his physician told him that he had to leave New York because his nervous system was deeply affected by the fast pace of the city.

This period was followed by 20 years spent in Jamaica. That's where, in 1950, he completed the Toussaint L'Ouverture statue. And in 1952, he completed a 40-foot monument for the city of Port au Prince, Haiti, depicting Jean-Jacques Dessalines, L'Ouverture's successor and leader of the 1804 revolution. He also designed several Haitian coins that are still in use.

Restless yet again, in 1969, he moved to Switzerland, then Spain and Italy before finally settling in Pasadena, Calif., in 1976, where he eventually met actor James Garner who became a devoted benefactor.

At the time, Barthe was far from successful. Poor and living in a rented apartment above a garage in downtown Pasadena, Barthe began working on his memoirs. Shocked at the sculptor's living conditions, Garner began secretly paying his rent and medical expenses. He also encouraged, and funded, the creation of several small editions of Barthe's sculptures, which sold well, allowing Barthe to gain some financial footing. Several of them are on display in the exhibit.

Barthe's last known work was a bust of Garner (not on display here), made in appreciation for all of the actor's help late in Barthe's life. The city of Pasadena was good also to Barthe, renaming the street he lived on Barthe Drive, and spearheading a fundraising drive to found the Barthe Historical Society and 30 Barthe scholarships for artists.

In addition to busts of Baker and Washington, this exhibit includes numerous figure studies and busts based on African themes, such as “African Boy Dancing,” in which the lithe figure of a boy is depicted in sinewy form, yet frozen in expressive motion.

“He wanted to celebrate the African form,” Shellman says. “He felt that there was a beauty and a grace in the African figure that wasn't being treated in the same manner by other artist, or anyone, for that matter.”

Several of the pieces in the show are based on Christian themes, including “Black Madonna,” “Bound Christ” and “John the Baptist.”

A real standout is “Angry Christ,” which garnered Barthe an award from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) in 1946. A larger-than-life bust, it's guaranteed to grab visitors' attention, thanks to its stark eyes and stern, “all-knowing” expression.

The August Wilson Center exhibit also includes a unique portrait bust of W. Frank Purdy, art critic, head of the sculpture department at Gorham Bronze and president of the Art Alliance of America, that is not part of the traveling exhibition. It is one of four Barthe sculptures in the collection of Fallingwater. The most famous is a sculpture of black Broadway actress Rose McClendon, which is on permanent display under the canopied walkway between the main house and guesthouse.

“He visited there, we don't know how often, but Edgar Kauffman Jr. was a friend of his,” Shellman says.

Several documentary photographs, quotes by the artist and a documentary video complete the exhibit, making for a well-rounded view of Barthe's life and work.

Kurt Shaw is the art critic for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at kshaw@tribweb.com.

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