September 6, 2007 Allan Rohan Crite, Harlem Renaissance painter, died. Crite was born March 20, 1910 in North Plainfield, New Jersey. He graduated from the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1936 and earned his Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Harvard University in 1968.
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August 27th in African American History – Norman W. Lewis
August 27, 1979 Norman W. Lewis, painter, scholar, and educator, died. Lewis was born July 23, 1909 in Harlem, New York. Always interested in art, he had amassed a large art history library by the time he was a young man. His early paintings were mostly figurative, including “Meeting Place” (1930), “The Yellow Hat” (1936), […]
August 12th in African American History – Jean-Michel Basquiat
August 12, 1988 Jean-Michel Basquiat, the first painter of African descent to become an international art star, died. Basquiat was born December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York. By the age of 11, he was fluent in French, Spanish, and English. Basquiat dropped out of high school and started as a graffiti artist. By 1982, […]
June 9th in African American History – Jacob Lawrence
June 9, 2000 Jacob Lawrence, painter, and educator, died. Lawrence was born September 7, 1919 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He attended classes at the Harlem Art Workshop and earned a scholarship to the American Artists School. Throughout his artistic career, Lawrence concentrated on depicting the history and struggles of African Americans.
May 15th in African American History – James Van Der Zee
May 15, 1983 James Van Der Zee, Harlem Renaissance photographer, died. Van Der Zee was born June 29, 1886 in Lenox, Massachusetts. As a child, he learned piano, violin, and art. He received his first camera at the age of 14 from a magazine promotion. After moving to New York City, Van Der Zee worked […]
April 21st in African American History – Robert Blackburn
April 21, 2003 Robert Blackburn, artist, printmaker and educator, died. Blackburn was born December 19, 1920 in Summit, New Jersey. As a teenager, he was mentored by several Harlem Renaissance artists, including Charles “Spanky” Alston and Augusta Savage. Blackburn studied lithography, etching, woodblock, and silk-screening at the WPA Harlem Community Art Center.
William December “Billy Dee” Williams, Jr. – April 6th in African American History
April 6, 1937 William December “Billy Dee” Williams, Jr., actor and artist, was born in New York City. Williams graduated from Manhattan’s School of Performing Arts and first appeared on Broadway in 1945 in “The Firebrand of Florence.” Other Broadway appearances include “A Taste of Honey” (1961), “I Have a Dream” (1976), and “Fences” (1988). […]