Homer De Brave

Nelson L. Stevens, Homer De Brave, 1970, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the American Art Forum, 2021.13
Copied Nelson L. Stevens, Homer De Brave, 1970, screenprint on paper, sheet and image: 20 × 26 in. (50.8 × 66 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by the American Art Forum, 2021.13

Artwork Details

Title
Homer De Brave
Artist
Date
1970
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 20 × 26 in. (50.8 × 66 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the American Art Forum
Mediums Description
screenprint on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • African American
  • Portrait male
Object Number
2021.13
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2021.13

Artwork Description

Homer de Brave presents the face of an African American man cropped into the shape of the continental United States. Rendered in purple and hot-pink kaleidoscopic forms, the figure stands in for African Americans throughout the country, embodying their claim to importance and call for justice.

New York City--born Nelson Stevens was a professor at Northern Illinois University when he joined AfriCOBRA in 1969. His vibrant style aligned with the core aesthetic principles of the group, which espoused the use of bold "cool-ade" color, symmetrical pattern, and messages of Black power and self-determination.