A celebration of 200 years of African American art
In 1898, the then-relatively unknown black artist Henry Ossawa Tanner exhibited a monumental painting, The Annunciation, in the annual Paris Salon, where it was seen with appreciation by visiting board members of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In 1898, then-unknown black artist Henry Ossawa Tanner exhibited a monumental painting, The Annunciation, in the annual Paris Salon, where it was viewed with enthusiasm by French critics and visiting Philadelphians.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art then bought the painting in 1899, its first purchase of work by an African American, and Tanner's first inclusion in the collection of an American museum.
More than a century later, The Annunciation has entered the canon of American visual art and the museum continues to acquire works by African American artists at an ever-increasing pace. Tanner's work and some of the fruits of the museum's on-going collecting can be seen in an exhibition opening Saturday, "Represent: 200 Years of African American Art." The exhibition closes April 5.
Filling two galleries with 75 works by 50 artists, the museum is telling a story of multifaceted and irrepressible creativity and expression.
The diffident portrait silhouettes created by Moses Williams, Charles Willson Peale's enslaved assistant (ultimately freed by Peale), greet the visitor quietly; nearby is an enormous, loud-mouthed storage jar fashioned by the enslaved ceramicist known as Dave the Potter.
From enslaved beginnings through the work of masters (some self-taught, some academically trained) like Horace Pippin, James Van Der Zee, Jacob Lawrence, Dox Thrash, and Romare Bearden, to the present day work of Barbara Chase-Riboud, Martin Puryear, Faith Ringgold, Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, and many others, the exhibition ranges across media, time period, and subject matter.
The museum is also publishing Represent, a survey of its African American collection long in the making.
Many exhibition educational and celebratory activities are keyed to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, on Monday, Jan. 19.
On Jan. 16, the museum will present musician Darryl Yokley performing a new composition inspired by the exhibition. The performance will be followed by a late-night dance party with DJ Rob Base.
Sunday, Jan. 18, the museum will feature a performance by the St. Thomas Gospel Choir.
On Monday, the Day of Service, there will be performances by Danco2 as well as service activities. Visitors need only pay what they wish Monday.
For a complete rundown on all events, activities, and educational programs related to the exhibition, visit the museum website at www.philamuseum.org.
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