Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Richmond, VA

804 367-0844

http://www.vmfa.state.va.us

Narratives in African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection

July 17 - September 30, 2001

This nationally traveling exhibition provides a superb overview of more than 125 years of African-American art. It includes a large selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and collages from 1870 to 1997 that together cover a wide range of styles and movements in the history of African-American art. (left: Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper, 1968, linocut on paper; 17 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches. (©Elizabeth Catlett/VAGA, NY, NY)

The exhibition also celebrates the vision of Dr. David C. Driskell, professor emeritus of art history at the University of Maryland, who began collecting these works in the 1950s. The exhibition features works by distinguished artists such as Edward Mitchell Bannister, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Meta Warrick Fuller, James Van DerZee, William H. Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden and Sam Gilliam. Others of the artists represented have not previously been shown in this area.

The works are organized in thematic sections that raise a wide range of social, historical and aesthetic issues. These include cultural emancipation and assimilation, the New Negro Movement, institutional patronage and mentoring, civil rights and protest, religion and spirituality, and global influences and identity within the African Diaspora. The exhibition provides a broader understanding of African-American art and its role in mainstream art history. The exhibition is made possible by a major contribution from the Rockefeller Foundation and additional support from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Prince George's Arts Council and the Washington Post Company.

Read this magazine's prior article on this exhibition:

• Narratives Of African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection (6/15/00)
  

Read more about the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Resource Library Magazine

Be sure to visit more of Resource Library Magazine with museum exhibition news, stories on American art, calendars, and more. Here are links to selected sections of the magazine:

• Feature articles indexed by date of publication, from 1997 to the present
• Articles concerning art museums, indexed by institution name in alphabetical order
• Articles concerning non-profit art organizations other than museums, indexed by name of organization in alphabetical order
• Feature articles indexed by subject and media - over three dozen mini-magazines
• Sources of articles indexed by state within the United States
• Calendar of art museum exhibitions, current and future years
• Milestones, including appointments, new buildings, etc.
• Appraisals, authentication, conservation and artist identification for original art and reproductions
• Columnists: Ann Avery Andres, Sarah Beserra, Roger Dunbier and Ann Erskine
• Art sellers' showcase and sponsorships
• Books, magazines, videos and more
• Cameos of historic American art collections
• Distinguished artists, including an alphabetical index of over 2,000 deceased American artists
• Magazine table of contents
• User agreement
• Editorial policies
• Advertising and sponsorship options

Copyright 1996-2001 Traditional Fine Art Online, Inc. All rights reserved.

• Links to to other TFAOI.COM divisions.