Who was Romare Bearden? |
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Romare Bearden was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1911
and by the time of his death in 1988 had achieved international acclaim
and a stature known by few artists during their lifetime. Bearden is considered
America’s greatest collagist and was thus honored by receiving the
National Medal of Arts in 1987 by then President Ronald Reagan. The artist’s
works are in the permanent collections of most every major American museum
including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrospectives
of Bearden’s art have been organized by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA),
the Mint Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute, the Studio Museum in Harlem
and the Council for Creative Projects. Most recently, the National Gallery
of Art, Smithsonian Institute, conducted a solo retrospective of his artwork,
making Bearden the first African American to be so honored.
Bearden depicted the many rituals and social customs of twentieth century rural Black America. Spiritual ceremonies, baptism and burial, industrial hardships, musical arrangements and daily life have become the themes that critics and collectors most frequently associate with his work. His collages, prints and watercolors are visually and emotionally stimulating, beautiful to behold and fantastic to contemplate. |