The walls of the Hunter Museum of American Art will see a new showcase of color, rhythm and culture as a new exhibit celebrating the African American community takes residency this month.
Beginning Valentine’s Day, the Hunter Museum of American Art will open the Smithsonian American Art Museum sponsored exhibition “African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era and Beyond,” featuring African American art of the 20th Century. The exhibit encompasses 43 black artists of the 20th century, a time of African American experiences, exploration of identity, the struggle for equality, the power of music and the beauties and hardships of life in rural and urban America.
Organized by chief curator of painting and sculpture at the SAAM, Virginia Mecklenburg, the exhibit will revisit the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement and the jazz age.
“Visitors will be struck not only by the power of these artworks, but also by the variety of the pieces on display,” said Mecklenburg. “So many new movements and styles grew out of the tumult of the 20th century, and these works reflect that diversity.”
The works are drawn from the SAAM’s rich collection of African American Art, and more than half of them are on display for the first time. Some of the artists share work in the Hunter’s permanent collection, such as Jacob Lawrence, Benny Andrews, Thornton Dial, Sam Gilliam, Richard Hunt and Lois Mailou Jones.