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Empress of the Blues

Object Details

Publication Label
African American Art is a rich part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, which is the largest and one of the finest in the United States. The museum began acquiring work by African American artists in the 1960s, some in depth — such as Henry Ossawa Tanner, William H. Johnson, and Alma Thomas. Many of the social, political, and cultural movements that came to define the twentieth century in America and captured the imagination of artists — such as the Jazz Age, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement — were rooted in African American communities.
Smithsonian American Art Museum: Commemorative Guide. Nashville, TN: Beckon Books, 2015.
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Artist
Romare Bearden, born Charlotte, NC 1911-died New York City 1988
Date
1974
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in part through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Medium
acrylic and pencil on paper and printed paper on paperboard
Dimensions
36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 121.9 cm.)
Type
Collage

Featured In

  • African American Artists and Selected Works
  • African American Music
  • Jazzed About Art
  • The Blues
  • African American Music:African American Music
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