Black Folk Art in America 1930-1980, 1st Edition by Jane Livingston and John Beardsley, published in 1982
“It is rare for an individual or an institution to discover something truly important and previously unknown. I believe that this exhibition does just that. It defines a body of fine art created by black Americans in the twentieth century, a phenomenon which is not even mentioned in most histories of American culture.
This art will probably disturb many viewers because it is so different from what we usually find in art museum collections. There are few visual conventions, the incongruities are rampant, and the rules of art history do not help us understand what we are looking at. Without a scholarly primer and a seal-of-art-history approval, black folk art could easily remain unnoticed by the broad American public, except for the fact that the best of this art is an important contribution to American culture.
The entire project required enormous amounts of research and travel by Associate Director Jane Livingston and Curator John Beardsley. They received valuable assistance from numerous sources as they tracked down one artist after another throughout the south and mid-west. Their watch-word was quality. The nearly 400 objects that comprise this show represent only a fraction of the work they saw.”
Peter C. Marzio
-
Publication Date: 1st edition, 1982
Condition: Very good with some general light fading to the back cover
Page Number: 186
*Ships within 2-3 business days
Black Folk Art in America 1930-1980, 1st Edition by Jane Livingston and John Beardsley, published in 1982
“It is rare for an individual or an institution to discover something truly important and previously unknown. I believe that this exhibition does just that. It defines a body of fine art created by black Americans in the twentieth century, a phenomenon which is not even mentioned in most histories of American culture.
This art will probably disturb many viewers because it is so different from what we usually find in art museum collections. There are few visual conventions, the incongruities are rampant, and the rules of art history do not help us understand what we are looking at. Without a scholarly primer and a seal-of-art-history approval, black folk art could easily remain unnoticed by the broad American public, except for the fact that the best of this art is an important contribution to American culture.
The entire project required enormous amounts of research and travel by Associate Director Jane Livingston and Curator John Beardsley. They received valuable assistance from numerous sources as they tracked down one artist after another throughout the south and mid-west. Their watch-word was quality. The nearly 400 objects that comprise this show represent only a fraction of the work they saw.”
Peter C. Marzio
-
Publication Date: 1st edition, 1982
Condition: Very good with some general light fading to the back cover
Page Number: 186
*Ships within 2-3 business days
