African American Art

Media - 2011.16 - SAAM-2011.16_1 - 75736
Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Mnonja, 2010, rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.16, © 2010, Mickalene Thomas

SAAM is home to one of the most significant collections of works by African American artists in the world.

These artworks span three centuries of creative expression in various media, including painting, sculpture, textiles, and photography, and represent numerous artistic styles, from realism to neoclassicism, abstract expressionism, modernism, and folk art. From a rare group of photographs by early African American studios to an important group of works by self-taught artist Bill Traylor to William H. Johnson’s vibrant portrayals of faith and family, to Mickalene Thomas’s contemporary exploration of black female identity, the museum’s holdings reflect its long-standing commitment to Black artists and the acquisition, preservation, and display of their work.

Themes

The artists included in SAAM’s collection powerfully evoke themes both universal and specific to the African American experience. Many reflect the tremendous social and political change that occurred from the early Republic to the Civil War, through the rise of industry, the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance, the post-war years, the Civil Rights movement to present day questions of personal identity and racism.

Selected Works

Dawoud Bey, Untitled #1 (Picket Fence and Farmhouse) from the series Night Coming Tenderly, Black, 2017, printed 2018, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ellen Benninghoven and Michael Schafer, 2019.29.1, © 2019, Dawoud Bey
Untitled #1 (Picket Fence and Farmhouse) from the series…
Date2017, printed 2018
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Lava Thomas, Requiem for Charleston, 2016, tambourines, pyrographic calligraphy on lambskin, acrylic discs and braided trim, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Nion McEvoy, 2017.4A-Y, © 2016, Lava Thomas
Requiem for Charleston
Date2016
tambourines, pyrographic calligraphy on lambskin, acrylic discs and braided trim
Not on view
Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Mnonja, 2010, rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.16, © 2010, Mickalene Thomas
Portrait of Mnonja
Date2010
rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel
On view
Arthur Jafa, Love is the Message, The Message is Death, 2016, single-channel high-definition digital video, color, sound; 07:25 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Joint museum purchase with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Nion T. McEvoy, Chair of SAAM Commission (2016-2018), and McEvoy's fellow Commissioners in his honor; additional funding provided by Joseph H. Hirshhorn Bequest Fund, 2020.001., 2020.3, © 2016, Arthur Jafa. Image courtesy of the artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York / Rome.
Love is the Message, The Message is Death
Date2016
single-channel high-definition digital video, color, sound; 07:25 minutes
Not on view
Dawoud Bey, A Young Woman Between Carrolburg Place and Half Street, Washington, D.C., 1989, printed 2018, inkjet photograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2019.30.3, © 2019, Dawoud Bey
A Young Woman Between Carrolburg Place and Half Street,…
Date1989, printed 2018
inkjet photograph
Not on view
Edmonia Lewis, The Death of Cleopatra, carved 1876, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Historical Society of Forest Park, Illinois, 1994.17
The Death of Cleopatra
Datecarved 1876
marble
On view
Mark Bradford, Amendment #8, 2014, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Lohrfink Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.34, © 2014, Mark Bradford
Amendment #8
Date2014
mixed media
On view
Purvis Young, The Struggle, 1973-1974, acrylic on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Grumbacher-Viener Collection in memory of Nancy Grumbacher, 2014.15
The Struggle
Date1973-1974
acrylic on wood
On view
Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2009, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2012.34A-B, © 2009, Nick Cave. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo by James Prinz Photography
Soundsuit
Date2009
mixed media
Not on view
Kara Walker, Alabama Loyalists Greeting the Federal Gun-Boats, from the portfolio Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated), 2005, offset lithograph and screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2008.19.1.1, © 2005 Kara Walker
Alabama Loyalists Greeting the Federal Gun-Boats, from the…
Date2005
offset lithograph and screenprint on paper
Not on view
Augusta Savage, Gamin, ca. 1929, painted plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Benjamin and Olya Margolin, 1988.57
Gamin
Dateca. 1929
painted plaster
Not on view
Robert S. Duncanson, Vesuvius and Pompeii, 1870, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Joseph Agostinelli, 1983.95.177
Vesuvius and Pompeii
Date1870
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Going to Church, ca. 1940-1941, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1003
Going to Church
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Café, ca. 1939-1940, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.669
Café
Dateca. 1939-1940
oil on paperboard
On view
Elizabeth Catlett, Singing Head, 1980, black Mexican marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1989.52
Singing Head
Date1980
black Mexican marble
Not on view
Henry Ossawa Tanner, Abraham's Oak, 1905, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.185
Abraham’s Oak
Date1905
oil on canvas
On view
Norman Lewis, Evening Rendezvous, 1962, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.32
Evening Rendezvous
Date1962
oil on linen
Not on view
Sam Gilliam, April 4, 1969, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1973.115
April 4
Date1969
acrylic on canvas
Not on view
Nari Ward, Swing, 2010, shoe tips, car tire, shoe tongues, rope, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York; Hassam, Speicher, Betts and Symons Purchase Fund, 2018, 2018.14, © 2010, Nari Ward
Swing
Date2010
shoe tips, car tire, shoe tongues, rope
Not on view
Clementine Hunter, Melrose Quilt, ca. 1960, fabric, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Barbara Coffey Quilt Endowment, 2014.5
Melrose Quilt
Dateca. 1960
fabric
On view
James VanDerZee, Evening Attire, 1922, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Julia D. Strong Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1994.57.3
Evening Attire
Date1922
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Earlie Hudnall, Jr., The Guardian, 1990, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.23.4, © 1990, Earlie Hudnall, Jr.
The Guardian
Date1990
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Frederick Eversley, Untitled, 1974, polyester resin/cast, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1983.82
Untitled
Date1974
polyester resin/cast
Not on view
Richmond Barthé, Blackberry Woman, modeled by 1930, cast 1932, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2001.6
Blackberry Woman
Datemodeled by 1930, cast 1932
bronze
Not on view
Renée Stout, The Colonel's Cabinet, 1991-1994, mixed media: carpet, chair, painting, and cabinet with found and handmade objects, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1994.45.1A-MMM, © 1994, Renee Stout
The Colonel’s Cabinet
Date1991-1994
mixed media: carpet, chair, painting, and cabinet with found and handmade objects
Not on view
Loïs Mailou Jones, Moon Masque, 1971, oil and collage on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 2006.24.5
Moon Masque
Date1971
oil and collage on canvas
Not on view
Hughie Lee-Smith, Confrontation, ca. 1970, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design, 2009.27
Confrontation
Dateca. 1970
oil on canvas
Not on view
James A. Porter, Still Life with Peonies, 1949, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1994.59
Still Life with Peonies
Date1949
oil on canvas
Not on view
Felrath Hines, Red Stripe with Green Background, 1986, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dorothy C. Fisher, wife of the artist, 2011.25.1, © 1986, Dorothy C. Fisher
Red Stripe with Green Background
Date1986
oil on linen
Not on view
Alma Thomas, Light Blue Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.324
Light Blue Nursery
Date1966
acrylic on canvas
Not on view
Peter Williams, A  Foolish Trick, 2018, oil-based enamel and pencil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Williams Legacy Foundation, Inc., 2019.18
A Foolish Trick
Date2018
oil-based enamel and pencil on canvas
Not on view
Bill Traylor, Untitled (Yellow and Blue House with Figures and Dog), 1939, colored pencil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2016.14.5, © 1994, Bill Traylor Family Trust
Untitled (Yellow and Blue House with Figures and Dog)
Date1939
colored pencil on paperboard
Not on view
Frederick Brown, Stagger Lee, 1983, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1991.40, © 1983, Frederick J. Brown
Stagger Lee
Date1983
oil on canvas
Not on view
Roland L. Freeman, Dancing at Jazz Alley. Chicago, Illinois, June 1974, from the series Southern Roads/City Pavements, 1974, printed 1982, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of George H. Dalsheimer, 1991.80.3, © 1974, Roland L. Freeman
Dancing at Jazz Alley. Chicago, Illinois, June 1974, from…
Date1974, printed 1982
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Mary Jackson, Low Basket with Handle, 1999, sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Marcia and Alan Docter, 2001.61
Low Basket with Handle
Date1999
sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto
Not on view
Whitfield Lovell, Echo I, 1996, mixed media on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor, 1999.73, © 1996 Whitfield Lovell
Echo I
Date1996
mixed media on wood
Not on view
Romare Bearden, Empress of the Blues, 1974, acrylic and pencil on paper and printed paper on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in part through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1996.71
Empress of the Blues
Date1974
acrylic and pencil on paper and printed paper on paperboard
Not on view
Bisa Butler, Don't Tread on Me, God Damn, Let's Go! - The Harlem Hellfighters, 2021, cottons, silk, wool, and velvet, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of David Bonderman, 2022.25, © 2022, Bisa Butler
Don’t Tread on Me, God Damn, Let’s Go! — The Harlem…
Date2021
cottons, silk, wool, and velvet
Not on view
Sonya Clark, Monumental, 2019, woven linen with madder dye and tea stain, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative, the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, and the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund, 2022.13, © 2019, Sonya Y.S. Clark
Monumental
Date2019
woven linen with madder dye and tea stain
Not on view

Related Artists

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Bill Traylor
born near Pleasant Hill, AL ca. 1853-died Montgomery, AL 1949

Bill Traylor was born around April 1, 1853, on the Alabama plantation of John Getson Traylor in Dallas County, near the towns of Pleasant Hill and Benton. Traylor and his siblings were born enslaved, as their parents had been.

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William H. Johnson
born Florence, SC 1901-died Central Islip, NY 1970

By almost any standard, William H. Johnson (1901–1970) can be considered a major American artist. He produced hundreds of works in a virtuosic, eclectic career that spanned several decades as well as several continents.

Mickalene Thomas
born Camden, NJ 1971
Sargent Johnson
born Boston, MA 1887-died San Francisco, CA 1967

"It is the pure American Negro I am concerned with, aiming to show the natural beauty and dignity in that characteristic lip and that characteristic hair, bearing and manner; and I wish to show that beauty not so much to the white man as to the Negro h

James Hampton
born Elloree, SC 1909-died Washington, DC 1964

Little is known about James Hampton, despite the grandeur of his self-chosen title, "Director, Special Projects for the State of Eternity." He was born in 1909 in Elloree, South Carolina, a small community of predominantly African-American sharecropper

Romare Bearden
born Charlotte, NC 1911-died New York City 1988

Born in North Carolina; studied in the U.S. and in Paris; lived mostly in New York City.

Alma Thomas with her portrait by Laura Wheeler Waring, Portrait of a Lady (1947, SAAM) in her home, Washington, DC, 1968. Photo by Ida Jervis. Alma Thomas papers, circa 1894-2001, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Alma Thomas
born Columbus, GA 1891-died Washington, DC 1978
Alma Thomas was a teacher and artist who developed a powerful form of abstract painting late in life. From the mid-1960s, she produced brilliantly colored and richly patterned works intimately connected to the natural world.
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Edward Mitchell Bannister
born St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada 1828-died Providence, RI 1901

Bannister created a sensation when one of his paintings won first prize at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. He was also a respected and knowledgeable art critic.

Robert S. Duncanson
born Seneca County, NY 1821/22-died Detroit, MI 1872
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Henry Ossawa Tanner
born Pittsburgh, PA 1859-died Paris, France 1937

Working in France after 1891, Henry Ossawa Tanner achieved an international reputation largely through his religious paintings.

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Edmonia Lewis
born Greenbush (now Rensselaer), NY 1844-died London, England 1907
Edmonia Lewis was the first sculptor of African American and Native American (Mississauga) descent to achieve international recognition. Her father was Black, and her mother was Chippewa (Ojibwa) Indian.
Media - 1986.65.110 - SAAM-1986.65.110_1 - 9720
Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
born Atlantic City, NJ 1929-died New York City 1998
William Edmondson
born Nashville, TN 1874-died Nashville, TN 1951

William Edmondson, son of Tennessee slaves, did not consider himself an artist when he began carving around 1932, after retiring from his job as a laborer.

Media - 1986.65.186 - SAAM-1986.65.186_1 - 9799
Sister Gertrude Morgan
born Lafayette, AL 1900-died New Orleans, LA 1980

Gertrude Morgan was raised as an active member of the Southern Baptist church. "My heavenly father called me in 1934 . . . . Go ye into yonder's world and sing with a loud voice you. . .

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Elijah Pierce
born Baldwyn, MS 1892-died Columbus, OH 1984

Elijah Pierce described himself as a "peculiar" child, because he did not want to work on his father's farm like his brothers.

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Jimmy Lee Sudduth
born Caines Ridge, AL 1910-died Fayette, AL 2007

Jimmy Lee Sudduth's fertile imagination has led him to paint self-portraits, dogs, television personalities, and the architecture and landscape near his home in Fayette, Alabama, as well as views of New York and other cities.

Inez Nathaniel-Walker
born Sumter, SC 1911-died Willard, NY 1990

Inez Nathaniel went north to Philadelphia during the Great Migration of the 1930s to escape the harsh realities of farm work in the rural South.

Benny Andrews
born Madison, GA 1930-died New York City 2006
Mark Bradford
born Los Angeles, CA 1961
Nick Cave
born Fulton, MO 1959
Thornton Dial, Sr.
born Emelle, AL 1928-died McCalla, AL 2016

Thornton Dial was born into a sharecropping family in rural Alabama, on the eve of the Great Depression. He experienced the trauma and tumult of both Jim Crow segregation and the civil rights movement. Profoundly influenced by Dr.

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Sam Gilliam
born Tupelo, MS 1933-died Washington, DC 2022

Gilliam is an innovative color field painter who has advanced the inventions associated with the Washington Color School.

Arthur Jafa- portrait
Arthur Jafa
born Tupelo, MS 1960

Arthur Jafa (b. 1960, Tupelo, Mississippi) is an artist, filmmaker and cinematographer.

Loïs Mailou Jones
born Boston, MA 1905-died Washington, DC 1998

Now in her eighth decade as an artist, Lois Mailou Jones has treated an extraordinary range of subjects—from French, Haitian, and New England landscapes to the sources and issues of African-American culture.

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Jacob Lawrence
born Atlantic City, NJ 1917-died Seattle, WA 2000

Painter. A social realist, Lawrence documented the African American experience in several series devoted to Toussaint L'Ouverture, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, life in Harlem, and the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Kerry James Marshall
born Birmingham, AL 1955
Martin Puryear
born Washington, DC 1941

One of the most important American sculptors working today, Martin Puryear (born 1941) is known for refined, handmade constructions, primarily in wood. Puryear's abstract forms, while evocative and familiar, elude specific or singular interpretations.

Faith Ringgold
born New York City 1930-died Englewood, NJ 2024
The artist Cauleen Smith sits in a chair in a pink top and green pants
Cauleen Smith
born Riverside, CA 1967
Kara Walker
born Stockton, CA 1969
Dawoud Bey
born New York City 1953
Roy DeCarava
born New York City 1919-died New York City 2009
Roland L. Freeman
born Baltimore, MD 1936
Gordon Parks
born Fort Scott, KS 1912-died New York City 2006

The people of Fort Scott, Kansas, have stayed with Gordon Parks all his life. He grew up in this prairie town, the youngest child in a family of fifteen, amid poverty and racism.

James VanDerZee
born Lenox, MA 1886-died Washington, DC 1983

VanDerZee began photographing as a teenager after having won an eight-dollar camera as a premium for selling pink and yellow silk sachets. Beginning in 1916 he worked out of a commercial Harlem studio he opened on 135th street.

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