The intimate space at Michael Rosenfeld opens a wide window on the work of Richmond Barthé (1901–1989), a pioneering Black sculptor of the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. Barthé was born and raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and began drawing as a boy. At 23, he won entrance to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but once there an anatomy class that used clay figures reoriented him toward sculpture. In 1929, Barthé settled in New York City, where he moved in bohemian circles and was championed by cultural powers like Lincoln Kirstein and Carl Van Vechten. Because he could not afford models, he studied dancers and actors in performance. Kinetic truth animates the lean classicism of his bronzes. This exhibition includes 16 important sculptures as well as photographs that punctuate Barthé’s life. Curated with the distinguished artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien, the show features a new film by Julien, what he calls an “archival meditation” on the artist. —Laura Jacobs