Romare Bearden: Prints
September 4 - November 1, 2008Romare Bearden (1911-1988) was a celebrated artist known for his textured collages depicting African American life, jazz musicians, urban scenes, and biblical themes. He was also a humanist and supporter of emerging artists, contributing to institutions like The Studio Museum in Harlem. His work is included in major museums nationwide, and he received numerous honors, including the National Medal of Arts.
The exhibition included 27 of Bearden’s original prints and 18 collages and drawings of John Lewis by Andrews, providing powerful visual narratives of the civil rights movement and African American life. The gallery emphasizes the educational value of these works, especially for youth, and encourages visits to learn about these significant artists and their impactful subjects.
Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden (1911-1988) experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles, but is best known for his richly textured collages of a wide range of subjects depicting aspects of African American life including urban and family scenes, Blues and Jazz musicians, and biblical scenes. Bearden was born in Charlotte, NC and attended Boston University and completed his studies at New York University. His life and art are marked by a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts (Bearden designed sets for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company), history, literature and world art.
Bearden was also a celebrated humanist, as demonstrated by his lifelong support of young, emerging artists. He was involved in founding several important art venues, such as The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Cinque Gallery, established to support young minority artists. Bearden was also one of the founding members of the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in 1970 and was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1972. Bearden's work is included in many important public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The Studio Museum in Harlem, among others. Bearden was the recipient of many awards/honors throughout his lifetime including the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Ronald Reagan, in 1987.
Working in conjunction with Jerald Melberg Gallery in Charlotte, NC, the exhibition in Sumter comprises 27 original prints of some of Bearden’s favorite subjects; biblical and mythological scenes, urban and family scenes, and Jazz and Blues musicians.
These exhibitions offer our community, especially youth, a rare opportunity to view works of art by nationally known African American artists that portray the struggle for civil rights (much of this action taking place in our own state of South Carolina). I urge each of you as art educators to bring your students to the gallery for a tour and to learn about these important American artists and the subject matter that is so powerfully depicted.
