Central Harlem in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Romare H. Bearden
September 2, 1911 - March 12, 1988
— 154 West 131st Street, Manhattan —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 5, 2022
1. Romare H. Bearden Marker
Inscription.
Romare H. Bearden. September 2, 1911 - March 12, 1988. Born in Charlotte, N.C., Romare Howard Bearden moved to Harlem with his family ca. 1914. After he completed his B.S. in Education from NYU in 1935, he studied with George Grosz at the Art Students' League, and worked as a political cartoonist. From 1935 until 1966, Bearden worked intermittently as a caseworker for the NYC Department of Welfare. In his early years, Bearden was a social realist painter, with a frequent theme of Black life as he observed it. After World War II, he painted literary topics and large non-objective oils. In 1964, he became the first Art Director of the Harlem Cultural Council, and, during the Civil Rights movement, he returned to themes of Black life. He wove images and ideas from the rituals of everyday life, religion, African American folklore and history, jazz, blues, European and Classical Chinese painting, and African antiquity into vibrant collages, noted for an exuberant use of color and sophisticated incorporation of found imagery. In 1984, Bearden was awarded the NYC Mayor's Award of Honor for Art and Culture, and in 1987, President Reagan presented him with the National Medal of Arts.
Born in Charlotte, N.C., Romare Howard Bearden moved to Harlem with his family ca. 1914. After he completed his B.S. in Education from NYU in 1935, he studied with George Grosz at the Art Students' League, and worked as a political cartoonist. From 1935 until 1966, Bearden worked intermittently as a caseworker for the NYC Department of Welfare. In his early years, Bearden was a social realist painter, with a frequent theme of Black life as he observed it. After World War II, he painted literary topics and large non-objective oils. In 1964, he became the first Art Director of the Harlem Cultural Council, and, during the Civil Rights movement, he returned to themes of Black life. He wove images and ideas from the rituals of everyday life, religion, African American folklore and history, jazz, blues, European and Classical Chinese painting, and African antiquity into vibrant collages, noted for an exuberant use of color and sophisticated incorporation of found imagery. In 1984, Bearden was awarded the NYC Mayor's Award of Honor for Art and Culture, and in 1987, President Reagan presented him with the National Medal of Arts.
Erected by Historic Landmarks Preservation Center; medallion program created by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these
Location. 40° 48.744′ N, 73° 56.694′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Central Harlem. Marker is on West 131st Street just east of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 154 W 131st St, New York NY 10027, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 5, 2022
2. Romare H. Bearden Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 96 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 10, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
