Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden official website: beardenfoundation.org

Romare Bearden (September 2nd, 1911 to March 11th, 1988) born in Charlotte, NC was an African-American artist. He was a student at NYU, the American Artists School, Columbia University, and the Sorbonne. Romare Bearden's depiction of the rituals and social customs of African-American life was imbued with an eloquence and power that earned him accolades as one of the finest artists of the 20th Century and a master of collage.

He founded the 306 Group, a club for Harlem's artists. In 1966 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1972 he was elected to the National Institue of Arts and Letters, In 1987 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Romare Bearden is also the coauthor (with Harry Henderson) of A History of African-American Artists. From 1792 to present (New York: Pantheon Books 1993), (with Harry Henderson), Six Black Masters of American Art (New York: Doubleday, 1972), (with Carl Holty) The Painter's Mind (Taylor & Francis, 1981), and author of Li'l Dan, the Drummer Boy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003).

The Art of Romare Beardon also came to Washington, DC's National Gallery of Art from September 14th, 2003 to January 4th, 2004. See The National Gallery of Art's official website for more: nga.gov/exhibitions/romarebearden.