Evening Rendezvous

Norman Lewis, Evening Rendezvous, 1962, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.32
Norman Lewis, Evening Rendezvous, 1962, oil on linen, 50 1464 14 in. (127.7163.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.32

Artwork Details

Title
Evening Rendezvous
Artist
Date
1962
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
50 1464 14 in. (127.7163.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on linen
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1994.32

Artwork Description

Lewis often asserted that art was not a tool for solving society’s problems, but Evening Rendezvous is a deeply political painting. The abstract dabs of white emerging from a gray twilight are hooded Klansmen, gathered around a bonfire suggested by the hot reds at the center of the image. Angular white shapes in the foreground describe men closest to the headlights of their cars, while those at the top are obscured by blue smoke. The combination of red, white, and blue mocks the patriotism that the Klan claimed as its defense.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Works by this artist (2 items)

Norman Lewis, Carnival, from the portfolio Impressions: Our World, Volume I, 1974, etching and aquatint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1988.18.26
Carnival, from the portfolio Impressions: Our World, Volume…
Date1974
etching and aquatint on paper
Not 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

Exhibitions

Media - 1995.22.1 - SAAM-1995.22.1_1 - 65784
African American Art in the 20th Century
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is home to one of the most significant collections of African American art in the world.