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Outdoor Art Fair Lafayette Park

Object Details

Caption
This oil on canvas painting depicts an outdoor art fair at Layfette Square in Washington, DC with art stalls, a monument of General Lafayette, and dozens of figures. The work, painted in a tight, realistic style, features individuals engaged in conversation, sitting, walking, and lounging on the grass. A woman sits for a portrait by the artist Louis Haynes in the foreground. In the left stall, the artist of this painting, John Robinson, displays some of his actual works, including the Portrait of Maud Jones, currently in the collection of the Anacostia Community Museum. Outdoor art fairs like this one, sponsored by the Times-Herald, offered Robinson an opportunity to exhibit his work and make connections outside the sphere of commercial galleries, which, at that time, would not show work by African American artists. Robinson went on to win multiple awards and recognition for his works at the annual fairs.
Data Source
Anacostia Community Museum
Artist
John N. Robinson
Date
1946
Cite As
Gift of Graham Holdings Company
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
35 7/8 × 39 13/16 in. (91.2 × 101.2 cm)
Other (Frame): 42 1/2 × 46 5/8 × 1 7/8 in. (108 × 118.4 × 4.8 cm)
Type
painting

Featured In

  • Explore America: Washington, D.C.
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