Perkins, Marion (1908–1961)

US sculptor. Largely self-taught, he was inspired by African art. His best-known work, Man of Sorrows (1950), depicted a black Christ. Although such works as John Henry (1943) and Ethiopia Awaking (1948) brought him some reputation, he was unable to earn a living from his art, and he worked as a freight handler to support his family.

Perkins was born in Marche, Arkansas. His parents died when he was young and he was raised by an aunt in Chicago. He worked as a janitor, dishwasher, and postal worker before discovering his passion for sculpture in the late 1930s.