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EXHIBITION

OF THE WORK OF NEGRO ARTISTS

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PRESENTED BY THE HARMON FOUNDATION AT THE

ART CENTER 1931 MOTHER AND DAUGHTER Çjiura Wh,

tAll the fhlHgrafthit worÇfor this catalogue and ihr exhibition ha, nrrn dour hj James £. -Allen. J/J West 121 SI S'erri, .\eie Tur It, Y. V. •\>e>» fhettgrapher THE HARMON FOUNDATION

P R E S E N T S A S EXHIBITION OF T H E W OKK OF NEGRO ARTISTS A T T HE ART CENTER 65 EAST 56TH STREET NEW YORK, N.Y.

February 16th to February 28th, 1931, (inclusive) Daily from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. Tuesday evenings —February 17th and 24th Thursday evenings—February 19th and 26th Until 10 P.M. Sunday—February 22nd, from 1 to 6 P.M.

HARMON FOUNDATION INCORPORATED 140 NASSAU STREET NEW YORK

William Burke Harmon, President Samuel McCune Lindsay, Economic Adviser Helen Griffiths Harmon, Vice President Mary Beattie Brady, Director FOREWORD HEN THE HARMON FOUNDATION held its first W exhibition of the work of American Negro artists in 1928, through the courteous hospitality of International House in New York, the organization was frankly feeling its way in a comparatively new field. It was hoped through this assembling to acquaint and interest the public more generally in the creative accomplishments in fine arts by- Negroes, thereby assisting this group to a more sound and satisfactory economic position. Perhaps most important of all was the desire to en­ courage the Negro endowed with high creative ability to give a wider expression to this genius. While there has been regret that the exhibitions in the past have had comparatively little to offer that has been a genuine interpretation of racial backgrounds, it has been realized that if such a real, stimulating and vital contribu­ tion is to be made to art development in America, the Negro must be able to get his work before an apprecia­ tive and compelling public. As the Foundation has followed and studied art activ­ ities during the last few years, it has become increas­ ingly convinced of the importance, not only of stirring wider attention to Negro contributions, but of the greater importance of getting members of the race to appre­ ciate and efifect an increasing demand for the work of their group. As such creative expression weaves itself into the life fabric of the race, it will inevitably take its rightful place in the art life of our country. While the Harmon Foundation has held its exhibitions in New York, artists from North, South, East and West, and even some who have been studying abroad, have /^ had their work hung in these exhibits. They have been J?>

> FOREWORD

available, however, to more than a New York view­ ing- through extended travelling exhibitions. From the number of pictures which have been pur­ chased, from the comment in the press, from spontaneous expressions of interest and from the increased number of productions by Negroes shown in general art exhibits, it is evident that there is a very remarkable advance taking- place in this field. No mention of the contributions to Negro art in this country can be complete however without referring to the very splendid work which has been and is being done in at least eight different centers. In the far South at At­ lanta University, Dr. John Hope has personally given great encouragement to many a struggling artist, and in recent years has started the nucleus of an art collection at Atlanta University. Other pages of this publication tell of the very progressive and complete service which Howard University is rendering, not only in training teachers in the field of Fine and Applied Arts, but also in making possible with its travelling exhibits throughout the South and its own well-equipped art gallery, a wider appreciation of art. The program of annual exhibitions of Negro art in San Diego, California, the assistance and encouragement that artists of this group have had in Boston, Chicago, Indian­ apolis, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and many other cities, is indicative of the growing participation of tbe Negro in art production. This has been stimulated by such groups as the Y. M. C. A., Y. W. C. A., Interracial Committees, local women's organizations, City Clubs, churches and the like. For years, the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library has given unusual encouragement to strug- FOREWORD gling Negro artists by making space available to them. The growing value of connecting the art and cultural life of the community with the library service has been clearly dem­ onstrated, and it is earnestly hoped that in the next few years there may develop in that locality, a center which will not only be a vital factor in the cultural development of Harlem, and an asset to New York, but a definite contri­ bution to the country as a whole. Of unusual and important encouragement to the Negro artists as a group as well as to the individuals receiving rec­ ognition, have been the Otto H. Kahn prizes each year, granted for the best single pieces in each of the Harmon Foundation's exhibitions. It is important to note that this reward for merit has carried with it, not simply the name of a well-known patron of the arts, but Mr. Kahn's current knowledge of. and keen concern in the Negro as he progresses towards greater achievement and wider recognition in the field of the visual arts. Additional interest has been expressed in the art de­ velopment of the group by Arthur B. Spingarn who has generously provided a special exhibit prize for outstand­ ing productions in black and white. The Foundation has been exceptionally fortunate in the helpful and constructive service which the judges have rendered each year in the selection of work to he shown, advice as to hanging, encouragement given to individual artists, and in suggestions for the future conduct of the Awards and exhibition. Whatever success has been achieved, is in a large measure due to the unusual concern of the judges to see that the productions shown should represent not the best that a Negro can do, but a high order of achievement in the field of art regardless of race. SOME HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS

HE NEGRO ARTIST today comes to public attention T and recognition as part of a movement to express race types and group tradition. In the past the Negro painter has been part of another tradition, and has achieved recognition accordingly as an individual, often with the fact of his racial identity ignored or forgotten. There are several such interesting instances worthy of mention to give historical background to the contemporary advance of the Negro as an artist. Oddly enough two of the great Negro painters of the past were slaves, and later pupils and disciples of two of the world's greatest masters,—Velasquez and Murillo. Both were emancipated for their great talent, and lived to perfect their art so that eventually some of their works have long been attributed to their masters. Velasquez's slave pupil was Juan de Pareja, and Murillo's. Sebastian Gomez ;—both recognized names in the galaxy of the Spanish school of Seville. Juan de Pareja, born 1606, was apprenticed to Velas­ quez and ground his pigments, absorbing all the intimate secrets and experience of the master's workshop. In 1651, according to Bermudez, the art historian, Pareja's talent came to the attention of Philip IV, and he was manu­ mitted ; remaining as a valued member of the artist's household as his portrait in the Vienna canvas The Family; of Velasquez will attest. The greatest authentic canvas of Pareja The Calling of St. Matthew is now in the Prado, hut there are a number of his paintings in the Hermitage, one in the Munich gallery, one in the sacristy of the Trinity Convent, Toledo, and another, for a considerable while attributed to Velasquez, in the Dulwich Gallery, London. The master's Moor with the Green Doublet and a White SOME HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS

Collar is none other than this talented and devoted disciple by the hand of his great teacher and benefactor. Sebastian Gomez had a career strangely similar. He was discovered by his overpainting of canvases during the night in the studio after the pupils of Murillo had gone. He was then received as a formal pupil, outstripping many of them, to become famous as the "Mulatto of Murillo". His birth date and place are unknown, but after years in Murillo's workshop, he died in 1680 in Seville. A Virgin and Child from his brush can still be seen in the Delscal- ozos portico at Seville; two large murals Christ Attached to a Pillar and Saint Peter Kneeling are in the vestry of the Capuchin Monastery of that city, and opposite his master's Saint Anthony in the Seville Bapistry, hangs this Negro painter's masterpiece, an Immaculate Conception. The Treasury of the same church houses his Holy Family. Indeed, the work of Gomez has both technical merit and individuality. Like Pareja, Gomez has a permanent place in the annals of Spanish seventeenth century art. Bridging a considerable gap, we come to the early his­ tory of art in America. Here we find several notable names of artists with an ancestry forgotten or ignored by the average art historian, even when their work is men­ tioned. They deserve resurrected credit and mention as the immediate precursors of the Negro artist of today, who unlike them, is readily identified by his work and artistic affiliations. One of these was the pioneer Amer­ ican Negro painter, Edward M. Bannister of Providence, R. I., medalist of the Centennial Exposition of 1876 and founder of the Providence Art Club. Bannister was a landscapist of great talent. A less known contemporary was R. S. Duncanson, of Cincinnati, a figure painter, landscapist, and historical painter, who achieved consider- SOME HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS

able recognition between 1863 and 1866 in London and Glasgow. Later, he was awarded several private and mu­ nicipal commissions at home in Cincinnati. Still producing, alongside the younger artist whose careers have synchronized with the eventful five years of the Harmon awards for the stimulation of the Negro in art, are, of course, the two outstanding older Negro artists of the present generation, Meta Warrick Fuller, the sculp­ tor, and the renowned painter, Henry O. Tanner. Stud­ ents of the best American academies, they have matured under French instruction and influence, and taken high rank among their contemporaries without special reference to race or race materials. From 1903 to 1906, Mrs. Ful­ ler was in the awards of the Paris Salon ; and Tanner has had the recognition of many exhibitions and museum col­ lections, the Luxembourg, the Pennsylvania Academy, the Chicago Art Institute, and numerous others. But these successful individuals are, after all, most sig­ nificant as evidences of the technical capacity and com­ petence of the Negro artist when given the rare oppor­ tunity of contact with the best traditions and academic methods in art. This is taken for granted now, largely as a result of the pioneer initiative and effort of those we have mentioned ; the goal of the Negro artist now reaches beyond this mere formal attainment to an art which ex­ presses the race spirit and background as well as the in­ dividual skill and temperament of the artist. And so we have a new era of Negro art before us,—but we must never forget the forerunners and pioneers.

Curator of Negro Collections Fisk University THE AFRICAN LEGACY AND THE NEGRO ARTIST E\ JEWING a recent exhibition of the work of Negro artists, Cyril Kay Scott, comments upon its imita­ tive and derivative character, lamenting that "it is almost purely Parisian and New York art done by Negroes, with almost nothing of the simplicity and directness of folk art, and little assimilation or use of the African primitive art, which has so profoundly affected the great European mod­ ernists." Mr. Scott is right in wishing that some of these artists would delve "into the marvelous and beautiful back­ ground which is their racial heritage." Further, he is very probably right in his opinion that, should they do so, "they could make to their age a contribution that would be unique" and which would "surpass the enthusiastic and conscientious efforts of even the great men of our time who have made such splendid use of the inspiration of Negro art." But the able and provocative Director of the Denver Museum of Art has overlooked one explanatory and ex­ tenuating fact; the young American Negro artist has not yet been exposed to the influence of African art. His European contemporary has been ; and likewise the Euro­ pean-trained American artist. As recently as 1927 a move­ ment was started to bring the Negro artist and the lay public into direct face to face contact with African art; and after a New York exhibit of the Blondiau-Theatre Arts collection of sculpture and metal work from the Bel­ gian Congo, the nucleus of this collection was purchased for the permanent and travelling collections of the Har­ lem Museum of African Art, organized at that time. It is temporarily housed in the exhibition rooms of the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library. The project was organized to preserve and interpret the ances­ tral arts and crafts of the African Negro, and to make them effective as fresh inspiration for Negro art expres­ sion and culture in America. THE AFRICAN LEGACY AND THE NEGRO ARTIST 11

In spite of the recency and inadequacy of this and a few other influences, the work of some of our contemporary Negro artists has already begun to register the influence of African art. There are marked traces in the design structure and motives of the work of Aaron Douglas, in­ directly reflected idioms in the modernist style of m 9" m William H. Johnson, an interesting new note in the more recent can­ vases of Hale Wood­ ruff, suggestions under the consciously racial sur­ faces of the sculptures WF of Richmond Barthé, and most direct of all, strik­ ing stylistic analogies in the Sargent Johnson bust of Chester. It is a long stretch from an isolated Negro sculptor living and 1 i working in California ~ ^ to the classic antiques of bygone African cultures ; .J but here it is in this cap- tivatingly naïve bust for those to see for whom only seeing is believing. i - | The constructive les­ CoNf.o MADONNA AND CHILD sons of African art are Harlem Museum of African Art among the soundest and most needed of art creeds today. They offset with equal force the banalities of sterile, imitative classicism and the superficialities of literal realism. They emphasize intel­ lectually significant form, abstractly balanced design, formal simplicity, restrained dignity and unsentimental emotional 12 THE AFRICAN LEGACY AND TFIE NEGRO ARTIST

appeal. Moreover. Africa's art creed is beauty in use, vitally rooted in the crafts, and uncontaminated with the blight of the machine. Surely the liberating example of such art will be as marked an influence in the contemporary work of Negro artists as it has been in that of the leading modernists;—Picasso, Modigliani. Matisse, Epstein, Lip- schitz, Brancusi, and others too numerous to mention. Indeed we may expect even more of an influence be­ cause of the deeper and closer appeal of African art to the artist who feels an historical and racial bond between him­ self and it. For him. it should not function as a novel pattern of eccentricity or an exotic idiom for clever yet imitative adaptation. It should act with all the force of a sound folk art, as a challenging lesson of independent originality or as clues to the reexpression of a half-sub­ merged race soul. African art, therefore, presents to the Negro artist in the New World a challenge to recapture this heritage of creative originality, and to carry it to dis­ tinctive new achievement in a vital, new and racially ex­ pressive art. One of the obvious advances of these suc­ cessive Harmon exhibitions has been the steadily increas­ ing emphasis upon racial types and characters in the work submitted and displayed. In this downfall of classic models and Caucasian idols, one may see the passing of the childhood period of Negro art, and with the growing maturity of the Negro artist, the advent of a truly racial school of art expression.

Professor of Philosophy Howard University ART AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

EGRO GENIUS is expressing itself today with diverse N voices, some full-throated and sonorous, others ten­ tative and hesitating, but growing in confidence. One of the most vital of these manifestations of the creative spirit is the artistic one, expressing itself variously, as in music, painting or the plastic arts. Today, too, as never before, this creative expression is finding its place, and the ap­ preciation of an intelligent and sympathetic public is stimu­ lating a greater creative life. No one can live or work to himself alone, and parlor art is always sterile. So the world at large, even more than the Negro group, should be grateful to those agencies, like the Harmon Foundation, which have encouraged Negro music, art and literature, and helped to bring to the enjoyment of these arts a larger and more appreciative public. The New York Public Library is proud to be one of these agencies which joining hands with the Harmon Foun­ dation are helping along this great movement. After all, artistic creation is not just a temperamental accident; it is an ultimate outgrowth of the human intel­ lect. If, as I think, the function of a library in any com­ munity is to act as a natural center for the development of the community's intellectual life, it will be the library's duty and privilege to search out and encourage any activity which quickens aesthetic or mental interest. It was with this thought that the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library, in Harlem, arranged its first exhibit of work by Negro artists in 1920. At that time the opportunity came rarely to the Negro artist to dis­ play his work or to see what other artists of his race were achieving or attempting. During the years since that first exhibit the library has shown the work of at least one 14 ART AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

hundred artists, and there is hardly a time when its walls are bare. Now that the background of interest has extended so enormously, now that public consciousness of Negro art

KASAI DANCE MASK. BELGIAN CONGO Harlem Museum of African Art

has grown to be practically world known, the 135th Street library feels justified of this early stand, and is highly appreciative of the Harmon Foundation's vision and prac­ tical efforts in bringing about this result. A UNIVERSITY ART SERVICE 15

If the first function of a library is to quicken mental life and expression, the second is to preserve the records of this life. These records in printed form, the library on 135th Street is preserving with deepest care. If the task before the Harmon Foundation includes not only the op­ portunity to exhibit the art of one of our great races, but to preserve it, as well, the library hopes to be able to join in an effort so worthy and so imperative.

Branch Librarian New York Public Library 135th Street Branch

A UNIVERSITY ART SERVICE HE DEPARTMENT OF ART of Howard University, the T national university for Negroes, located in Washing­ ton, D. C, was organized in 1921. Two courses of study are offered by the Department, one of which is for the train­ ing of teachers in art and leads to the degree of B. S. in Education, the other which leads to the degree of B. S. in Art aims to train students for professional work, and they may major in design or in painting. An initial gift from Mrs. Avery Coonley greatly aided in the establishment of the new Art Gallery of the depart­ ment. It was designed and arranged by Mr. Albert I. Cas- sell, the university architect, and is located on the ground floor of the Andrew Rankin Chapel. The Gallery was formally opened Monday evening. April seventh, 1930. The purpose of its establishment was to show the work 16 A UNIVERSITY ART SERVICE

of the more advanced students of the department, as well as the products of artists of the highest rank, both in this country and abroad. Thus is afforded the students an opportunity to study within the walls of the institution transient works of art assembled and circulated by the leading art museums and associations. This advantage cannot be but highly bene-

HOWARD UNIVERSITY ART GAIXERY ficial to art students in particular, aiding them in the de­ velopment of their own powers in this field. The gallery has two travelling exhibitions, one of which will go on circuit during the spring quarter, the other has recently returned from the South where it was shown at the following institutions, Palmer Memorial Institute, Se- A UNIVERSITY ART SERVICE 17

dalia, N. C. Bennett College for Women, Greensboro, N. C. and Shaw University. Raleigh, N. C. Miss Alice G. Taylor of Bennett College says, "The exhibit has been received favorably in all three cases. Personally, I think the presentation of it has been a definite step toward de­ veloping appreciation for Art. This development is going to be gradual to be sure, but gradual movements become permanent movements and I want to thank you for mak­ ing it possible for our schools to have such an exhibit. I appreciate also the privilege I had in assisting you." Leila Mechlin writing in the Sunday Star, Washington, 1). C, January 18th, says, "The series of lectures on Art planned by the department of Art at Howard University and announced previously in these columns is proving very successful, with attendance so large that seating has be­ come a problem, and those in charge have under considera­ tion the use of a larger hall." These departmental lectures were begun in the autumn quarter of 1928. Although they are not as yet established on an ample basis, it is hoped that they will offer fuller opportunities for co-ordinating the work of the allied de­ partments of the University, as well as assuring for us a means of increasing our circle of friends by presenting to them an invitation to cooperate in an informal way with the regular activities of the University in the field of Art, and thus to promote reciprocal benefits.

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Art Department, Howard University LOOKING FORWARD HE ART CENTER is exceedingly glad to welcome to its T galleries the exhibition of Negro artists, sponsored by the Harmon Foundation. It is interested in this show­ ing for several reasons, the first being that the Art Center is organized to foster and stimulate an American expres­ sion in the arts. It feels that nothing could be more nearly in line with its own endeavor than this attempt of the Har­ mon Foundation to encourage the artistic development of the Negro Race. Secondly, it believes that the present exhibition is important from the point of view of excel­ lence. A short ten years ago there was no Negro art of stand­ ing in the United States. There were no well-known liv­ ing Negro artists, except Tanner in Paris who had de­ veloped as an individual painter rather than as a pro­ ponent of racial characteristics. The first exhibition in 1928, held by the Harmon Foundation, was so disappoint­ ing in this respect that many critics decided that the Negro had no original and vital contribution to make in the visual arts. Even a year ago, the work did not seem any too hopeful, but the firm feeling remained that a race which can express itself through its music so characteristically in rhythm, color and strength, must eventually have something equally important to express in the visual arts. The ex­ hibition this year is a justification of that belief. In it we feel there is a beginning of race consciousness, which wholly justifies the wisdom, courage and patience of the Harmon Foundation. It seems certain that, if such an ad­ vance can be made in the few short years that this project has been on foot, there is good reason to look ahead to an outstanding development. It was the feeling of the judges that this fourth exhibition may be said to mark the real appearance of the Negro in the field of visual art.

Director of the Art Center ON EXHIBITION

JAMES LATIMER ALLEN 1—Laughing Black 2—Portrait—Dr. Elmer Imes 3—Portrait—Hon. W. E. B. DuBois 4—A Study in Low Key

FREDERICK CORNELIUS ALSTON 5—Herb Doctor

RICHMOND BARTIIK 6—A'Lelia Walker 7—Boy with Broom (Sculpture) 8—Mask of Boy (Sculpture) 9—Self Portrait 10—West Indian Girl (Sculpture)

S. ELLIS BLOUNT 11—Miss Lucinda

CLOYD LEE BOYKIN 12—A Gentleman of the Coast 13—A Royal Lady

EDWARD JOSCELYNE BRANDFORD 1-1—Broken Toys 15—Harlem Backyard 16—Nocturne (Illustrative of poem by Countee Cullen)

EUGENE ALEXANDER BURKES 17—Slave Mother 18—Spiritual Creator

WILLIAM ARTHUR COOPER 19—Vanishing Washer Woman 20 ON EXHIBITION

ALLAN ROHAN CRITE 20—The Early Morning Bus 21—Gulls at Morning 22—Smoke

LILLIAN A. DORSEY 23—Self Portrait

WILLIAM MCKNIGHT FARROW 2-1—Aunt Zebbie's Garden

ALLAN FREELON 25—Building the Bridge 26—Gloucester Harbor 27—Lobster Boats—Gloucester 28—The Welder

META WARRICK FULLER 29—Dark Hero (Sculpture) 30—The Doctor (Sculpture) 31—Water Boy (Sculpture)

KING DANIEL GANAWAY 31a—Heart of Chicago 31b—Steel Mills At Night 31c—.Spirit of the Great Lakes 31 d—Watering the Team

WILLIAM THOMPSON GOSS 32—St. Patricks 33—Still Life 34—Voters

WILLIAM EMMETT GRANT 35—Neena

JOHN WESLEY HARDRICK 36—Lady X ON EXHIBITION 21

EDWIN AUGUSTUS HARLESTON 37—Portrait—Aaron Douglas, Artist 38—Portait—Miss Bailey with the African Shawl 39—The Old Servant

PALMER C. HAYDEN 40—Auray-Bateaux de Pêche 41—Le Rousseau 42—Les Filets Bleus—Concarneau 43—Sortir des Pêcheurs 44—Vers le Rivage 45—Baie de la Forêt

MALVIN GRAY JOHNSON 46—Meditation 47—Roll Jordan Roll 48—Water Boy

SARGENT CLAUDE JOHNSON 49—Anderson (Sculpture) 50—Chester (Sculpture) 51—Sammy (Sculpture )—loaned by the courtesy of Mrs. Ernest R. Alexander. New York 52—Vera

WILLIAM H. JOHNSON 53—Garden—Kerterminde 5-1—Landscape With Sun Setting 55—Landscape from Florence, South Carolina— Jacobia Hotel 56—Sonny HENRY BOZEMON JONES 57—Dream Time 58—Mrs. Potter 58a—Slim 22 ON EXHIBITION-

LOIS MAILOU JONES 59—Negro Cabin 60—Negro Youth

VIVIAN SCHUYLER KEY 61—Study in Yellow

BENJAMIN SPURGEON KITCHIN 62—The Vanishing American

ANZOLA D. LAIRD 63—Hills in Summer

RICHARD WILLIAM LINDSEY 64—Lower Manhattan

ARCHIBALD JOHN MOTLEY, JR. 65—Dans La Rue, Paris 66—Jockey Club, Paris 67—Martinique Youth 68—Old Snuff Dipper 69—Portrait of My Mother

RICHARD BRUCE NUGENT 70—Gabun Head 71—Gabun Head 72—Hermaphrodite 73—Illustration for "South"

ALLISON LEWIS OGLESBY 7A—The Return From the Night Shift

PHILIP LEO PIERRE 75—Portrait—Miss Maggie Hunter ON EXHIBITION 23

ROBERT SAVON PIOUS 76—Bible Student 77—Door of Enchantment 78—Old Colonial Corner 79—Portrait of Dr. McMurray 80—Portrait of Roland Hayes

NANCY ELIZABETH PROPHET 81—Head in Ebony (Sculpture) 82—Poise (Sculpture)

DAN TERRY REID 83—Portrait of a Young Man

O. RICHARD REID 84—Henry Lewis Mencken

REDVERS DONALD REID 85—Still Life

J. H. D. ROBINSON 86—Portrait

AUGUSTA SAVAGE 87—Bust (Sculpture) 88—Chase (Sculpture in Palm Wood)

WILLIAM EDOUARD SCOTT 89—Lead Thou Me On 90—The Lord Will Provide

ALBERT ALEXANDER SMITH 91—Dancing Time 92—My Bunk 93—A New York Corner 94—Silent Banjo 95—Sunday Best 24 ON EXHIBITION-

MARY LEE TATE 96—Miami Valley 97—Morning Mist 98—A Mountain Stream

DANIEL NORMAN TILLMAN 99—Dr. I. E. Philo 100—Mt. Horace G. Emerson

LAURA WHEELER WARING 101—Mother and Daughter 102—Portrait of Col. William J. Schieffelin

JAMES LESESNE WELLS 103—African Fetish 1 104—African Fetish 11 105—African Phantasy 106—Boys Head 107—The Flight Into Egypt 108—Landscape 109—Mask Composition 110—Primitive Girl 111—Wanderers

RICHARD MILBY WILLIAMS 112—Squirrel (Wood Carving)

ARTHUR GLEN WINSLOW 113—My Wife

HALE A. WOODRUFF 114—The Card Players (Composition) 115—Head of Woman 116—Provençal Landscape 117—Still Life ON EXHIBITION 25

LOAN COLLECTION

EDWARD M. BANNISTER 118—Landscape 119—Marine 120—Sheepfold (Loaned by the courtesy of Dr. John Hope. Atlanta University)

HENRY O. TANNER 121—The Flight 122—The Sleeping Disciples (Loaned by the courtesy of Mr. John E. Nail, New York) 123—House of Joan of Arc (Loaned by the courtesy of the Granii Central Galleries)

AFRICAN PRIMITIVES (In Entrance Hall) (Loaned by the courtesy of the Harlem Museum of African Art. i35th Street Branch of the New York Public Library)

Bakuba Chieftain's Statuette Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Bakuba Ceremonial Cup Talismans—Belgian Congo Congo Jewel Box Kasai Dance Mask--Belgian diligi) Mask Congo

Statement Regarding Special Prises Locke Portrait Price is given in honor of Dr. Alain Lecke, Pro­ fessor of Philosophy at Howard University in appreciation of his quiet, constructive and effective services in the advancement a/ tin- culture of the Neuro race. The Commission Price for l'holographie ìl'ork is given in recognition of the cooperation the Commission on Race Relations has rendered in administering the William L. Harmon Awards for Distinguished Achievement Among Negroes. HONORS Conferred in the 1930 Award in Fine Arts and Exhibition Harmon Award in Fine Arts of Gold Medal and James Lesesne Wells Washington, D. C.

Otto H. Kahn Exhibit Price of $250 Lillian A. Dorsey Stamford, Connecticut

Locke Portrait Price of $100f "The Old Servant" by Edwin Augustus Harleston Charleston, South Carolina

Arthur B. Spingarn Price of $50 for work in Black and White "Portrait of Roland Hayes" by Robert Savon Pious Chicago, Illinois

The Commission Prise of $50}' For Photographic work James Latimer Allen New York, New York

Exhibited with Honorable Mention "Negro Youth" by Lois Mailou Jones, Boston, Massachusetts "Broken Toys" by Edward J. Brandford, New York, New York "Vanishing Washer Woman" by William Arthur Cooper, Dunn, North Carolina

JUDGES •George Gray Barnard James V. Herring Alon Bement Winold Reiss Walter M. Grant Arthur Schomburg * Unable to act on account of illness. t Statement regarding these prizes is given on page 25. PREVIOUS RECOGNITIONS

SERIES OF 1926 Gold Award Palmer C. Hayden New York, New York Bronco Award Hale Aspacio Woodruff Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES OF 1927 Gold Award Laura Wheeler Waring Cheyney, Pennsylvania Award of Gold Medal William Edouard Scott Chicago, Illinois Bronce Award John Wesley Hardrick Indianapolis, Indiana Otto H. Kahn Exhibit Price Sargent Claude Johnson Berkeley, California

SERIES OF 1928 Gold Award Archibald John Motley, Jr Chicago, Illinois Bronce Award May Howard Jackson Washington, D. C. Otto H. Kahn Exhibit Price Malvin Gray Johnson New York, New York

SERIES OF 1929 Gold Award William H. Johnson New York, New York Bronce Award Albert Alexander Smith New York, New York Sargent Claude Johnson Berkeley, California Otto H. Kahn Exhibit Price Nancy Elizabeth Prophet Providence, Rhode Island

SELF PORTRAIT Lillian A. Dorsey Received the Otto H. Kahn Exhibit Prize of $250 f

OLD SNUFF-DIPPEB VERA Archibald John Motley, Jr. Sargent Claude Johnson

DANCING TIME Albert Alexander Smith I M rJK 17^S

STUDY IN YELLOW PORTRAIT Vivian Schuyler Key /. H. D. Robinson

lM l I T 4k A I, .(1 1 yi lf|

m y ^r^ *

JOCKEY CLUB, PARIS Archibald John Motley, Jr. BUILDING TUE BRIDGE \*OTEKS Allan Freelon William Thompson Goss

LANDSCAPE James Lesesne Wells Recipient of the 1930 Award in Fine Arts of the William E. Harmon Awards for Distinguished Achievement Among Negroes LAUGHING BLACK* WATER BOY James Latimer Allen Malvin Gray Johnson

MEDITATION Malvin Gray Johnson

• The Commission Prize for Photographic Work DREAM TIME ST. PATRICKS Henry Boccinoli Jones William Thompson Goss

LANDSCAPE WITH SUN SETTIN VANISHING WASHER WOMAN William Arthur Cooper Honorable Mention

» HEAD IN EBONY DARK HERO Nancy Elisabeth Prophet Meta Warrick I'ullc,

MASK OE BOY WEST INDIAN GIRL Richmond Barthè Richmond Barthè THE LORD WILL PROVIDE William Edouard Scott 11

PORTRAIT OF ROLAND HAYES* NEGRO YouTHf Robert Savon Pious Lois Mailou Jones

SORTIR DES PÊCHEURS Palmer C. Hayden

' Arthur B. Splngarn Prize for Work in Black and White t Honorable Mention

THUMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS

JAMES LATIMER ALLEN, New York—Initial interest in photog­ raphy aroused by school-boy membership in a Camera Club. Started working at 14 as an apprentice at Stone Van Dresser Company, where he has gained much of his training, as well as through personal observations and study. At twenty-three he has done portrait studies of many of the leaders of the colored race and his work has been hung on a competitive basis at the Car­ negie Institute, Pittsburgh, and at the Rotherham Salon, London. Now working independently.

FREDERICK CORNELIUS ALSTON, St. Louis—Teacher of drawing in a St. Louis high school. Educated at Shaw University and the Pennsylvania School of Industrial Art. Won first prize at an exhibition of work of Negro painters during the past year in St. Louis. RICHMOND BARTHÈ, Chicago—At School in the South, his wirk attracted a Catholic priest who helped him to enter the Chicago Art Institute. As a student there his lack of funds necessitated his rising at four to mop floors for five hours before going to classes. Studied at the Institute for four years and then came to Harlem where Jo Davidson saw and became interested in his sculpture. Held a one-man show in 1930 at the Chicago Women's City Club. His busts of Booker T. Washington and Paul Lawrence Dunbar are in a Richmond, Virginia high school; one of Toussaint L'Ouverture and of Henry O. Tanner in Gary, Indiana and a copy of his "Tortured Negro" in the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library. S. ELLIS BLOLTNT, New York—Following an army service decided to complete his education. Studied at nights at City College, Pratt Institute and the National Academy of Design ; worked days as stenographer in the Department of Correction and as free-lance cartoonist. CLOYD LEE BOYKIN, New York—Educated as electrical engineer, and later sent by Dr. Edward Everett Hale to study for ministry, he always desired to be a painter. Inspired by a visit to the Metropolitan Museum, he bought materials and went to work. A portrait of Wendell Phillips brought his first recognition. He obtained a scholarship for the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts, later studied abroad. He has organized a School of Art in New York which he now directs, and at the same time conducts a business of restoring and appraising pictures.

EDWARD JOSCEI.YNE BRANDFORD, New York—Worker in a lamp­ shade factory who financed his study at the Barile School and THLMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS 41

Cooper L'nion by acting as elevator operator. He had a one-man show in 1930 at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library. Born in Jamaica, B. W. I., 26 years ago, he came to this country in 1924. EüGENE ALEXANDER BURKES, Newark, N. J.—A music teacher. Recently completed a course of study at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. Born in Virginia in 1880. WILLIAM ARTHUR COOPER, North Carolina—Teacher and pastor; self-trained in art and conducts classes for children in the history and technique of painting. Life resident of North Carolina where he was born in 1895. ALLAN ROHAN CRITE, Boston—At 15 wash drawings of his were used as illustrations for an article in the Forum and similar work appeared in The Art of Seeing, published by Woodbury and Perkins. Has attended classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for ten years. He has done panels and stage settings for the Allied Art Center, an experimental project for developing the artistic talents of Negro children. Mr. Crite is now 20. LII.I.IAX V DORSF.Y, Connecticut—A High school girl of eighteen who was without art training until last summer when she came to the attention of the artist Maurice Sterne. Her self-portrait is one of the first pieces done after her study with him. She lives with a widowed mother who is a nurse, and two brothers and plans to study either at Pratt or the Art Students' League. WILLIAM MCKNIGHT FARROW, Chicago—A worker in the galler­ ies of the Art Institute in 1917 when his art training was learned about. He was then transferred to have part-time responsibility in arranging the Egyptian Collection and also work in the print shop. Born in Ohio in 1885, he was educated in the public schools of Indianapolis. ALLAN FREELON, Philadelphia—Mr. Freelon is the only Negro to be employed as an Assistant Director of Art in the Public Schools of Philadelphia. Lie has lectured at Bryn Mawr, Swarthmorc, and other colleges on the achievements of the Negro in art, and is one of the editors of Black Opals, a publication for the expres­ sion of literary and artistic interests among the colored people of Philadelphia. He is the first Negro to have been admitted to the Gloucester Society of Artists, and the North Shore Arts Association. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and held a scholarship for four years at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Art. META WARRICK FULLER, Massachusetts—Although her work in sculpture was seen and approved by Rodin when she studied in Paris as a girl, Mrs. Fuller for many years gained but little 42 THUMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS

recognition in this country. Now, however, her talent is widely known and appreciated. One piece is at the Harlem Library in New York, another in the Atlanta Y. M. C. A. She is the wife of Dr. Solomon Fuller, who is a neurologist at the Massachusetts State Hospital for the Insane. She is closely identified with civic and cultural activities in Boston and is a member of the faculty of the Wellesley Summer School of Religious Drama. Born and educated in Philadelphia, she went to Europe practically penni­ less and alone as a young girl in order to continue her studies. She has served in the past as a judge in the Harmon Fine Arts Award.

KING DANIEL GANAWAY, Chicago—Mr. Ganaway in his photo­ graphic art, interprets industrial life in America. His "Spirit of Transportation", a study of the 20th Century Limited, received a Wanamaker Prize. For twenty years he was a waiter and butler, studying in his spare moments, hut after winning this prize he was able to take a position as staff photographer for the Bee.

WILLIAM THOMPSON Goss, Detroit—With almost no formal training, Mr. Goss is supporting himself as a commercial artist, and designer of show cards, signs and posters. He is a native of Kentucky and a graduate of Lucy Lancy's School, Haines Institute. He served in the Navy for two years during the War.

WILLIAM EMMETT GRANT, Michigan—Encouraged early by his mother, he pursued a course, under financial hardship, at the Chicago Art Institute and later studied in Paris. In his spare time from his job as a shipping clerk in the shops at Pere Mar­ quette he not only does posters and portraits, but he has also completed a mural for St. Philip's Church at Grand Rapids.

JOHN WESLEY HARDRICK, Indianapolis—Supports a wife and four children as a truck driver, but finds time both to attend classes at Herron Art Institute and do a great deal of painting. Several of his pictures have been purchased by galleries and schools. He received the Harmon Bronze Award in Fine Arts in 1927.

EDWIN AUGUSTUS HARLESTO.N, South Carolina—An urge to gain expression through art caused him to give up his studies at Harvard, where he had gone after athletic triumphs at Atlanta, and spend seven years at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While there he worked as a seaman to earn his living, following in this respect in the footsteps of his father, a steamboat captain who was a member of one of the old free colored families of Charleston. A portrait of Pierre Dupont won the Amy E. Spingarn prize given by The Crisis magazine in 1925. During the past year he has been associated with Aaron Douglas working on the murals at the Fisk University Library. He gains his livelihood mainly by an undertaking business. THUMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS 43

PALMER C. HAYDEN, France—A native of Widewater, Vir­ ginia, he has always had a love of the ocean, which is easily noticeable in his paintings. Following a service in the army and later work as a postal clerk, he engaged in window-washing in New York for a few years so as to have more free time for art. Since 1927, shortly after he received the Harmon Gold Award in Fine Arts, he has been in France.

MALVIN GRAY JOHNSON, New York—An interpreter of the Negro Spirituals with the medium of color. A native of North Caro­ lina, he came to New York as a boy, and studied at the National Academy of Design. Supporting himself at the same time, he won considerable recognition there, and has since exhibited widely. His "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" won the Otto H. Kahn prize'at the Harmon Exhibit in 1928. At present he gives all his time to his painting. SARGENT CLAUDE JOHNSON, California—A worker in many art mediums, Mr. Johnson has won his greatest recognition in the field of sculpture. His terra cotta head, "Sammy" won the 1927 Otto H. Kahn prize at the Harmon Exhibit. In 1929 he received a Harmon Bronze Award in Fine Arts. One of his figures has been purchased by a California gallery. He is employed as a picture framer. WILLIAM H. JOHNSON, Denmark—At the National Academy of Design where Mr. Johnson carried on his studies supporting himself by working as a dock stevedore, he began to earn recog­ nition for his art work, receiving among others the Cannon and Hall Garten prizes. More recently he has traveled both in Europe and this country, and was the recipient of the Harmon Gold award in Fine Arts in 1929. HENRY BOZEMON JONES, Philadelphia—As a high school boy, Mr. Jones won a scholarship from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. One of his instructors there, Thomas Anshutz, chose the boy from among all his pupils to work with him in his studio. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Academy, and his portraits of well known people have been widely exhibited. He has painted only in his spare time, working as a bellboy, porter, cement worker, actor, printer and teacher. He is at present an instructor in physical education. Lois MAILOU JONES, Boston—The winner of four successive scholarships to the Boston School of the Museum of Fine Arts, of which she is one of the few Negro graduates, Miss Jones is best known for her textile designs and fashion drawings. She has also done portrait and landscape work, and is at present a teacher of design at Howard University. Miss Jones is but twenty-four years old. 44 THUMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS

VIVIAN SCHUYLER KEY, New York—Working against many dis­ couragements in her serious art work, she first gained recogni­ tion when four of her cover designs were used by The Crisis magazine. In 1927 she won the Amy E. Springarn Prize. She is a graduate of Pratt Institute and was married in 1929. She has recently been working at the Glen Cove Settlement House on Long Island. BENJAMIN SPURGEON KITCHIN, New York—A native of Haiti, he received his education in Jamaica and worked as a marble cutter in the West Indies. One of his paintings may be seen in the Church of the Redeemer at Kingston, B. W. I. He is at present employed in the B. M. T. shops in Brooklyn, and has designed many of their safety slogan placards. ANZOLA D. LAIRD, Missouri—Her painting received recognition in 1929 when she exhibited among a group of Negro artists at the St. Louis Public Library. She is financing her further training by liei- work as a grade school teacher in that city. She is a native of Tennessee and was educated at the St. Louis public schools, the University of Chicago and the Michigan State Normal College.

RICHARD WILLIAM LINDSEY, New York—One of his paint­ ings, a marine, hangs in the restaurant where he earns his living as a waiter. He was educated in Indianapolis, where a teacher, noticing his talent, advised him to continue his art study. He attended the Herron Art Institute and later the National Academy of Design.

ARCHIBALD JOHN MOTLEY, JR., Chicago—At his one-man show at the New Galleries in New York in 1928, the first to be held by a Negro Artist since that of Tanner, Mr. Motley's work attracted public attention. Practically all the paintings shown were sold to collectors, among them Mr. Ralph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World. The following year, this artist received the Harmon Gold Award in Fine Arts at the annual exhibit. He worked for some time as a day laborer in order to complete his art education.

RICHARD BRUCE NUGENT, New York—Artist, writer and actor, he has won recognition in several fields, his talents having brought him to the attention of the leaders of the younger group of Negro artists and writers in New York. In addition to his illus­ trations for The New Negro and Ebony and Topac, he has pub­ lished poetry and a novelette and is at present working on a novel. For two years he was a member of the cast of DuBose Heyward's "Porgy". He was born and educated in Washington. ALLISON- LEWIS OGLESBY, Detroit—He has exhibited at the Detroit Institute of Arts and at the Michigan State Fair. His training THUMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS 45

was acquired at the Wicker School of Fine Arts, during which period he worked at the Post Office to support his wife and chil­ dren. He is a member of the Pen and Palette Club of Detroit. He was born and received his early education in Atlanta. PHILIP LEO PIERRE, New York—Mr. Pierre is a native of Trin­ idad, where he received his education in the government schools. He is an engineer. ROBERT SAVON PIOUS, Chicago—A portrait of Roland Hayes by this artist has been awarded the Arthur B. Spingarn Prize lot- work in Black and White. He is at present doing some paintings for the Negro Day School Nursery recently established in Chicago by Mrs. Alfred Sterne, the daughter of Julius Rosen- wald. His present occupation is that of supervisor for a hair- dressing products company. In the past his occupations have been varied. He is a native of Mississippi and has studied at the Chicago Art Institute.

NANCY ELIZABETH PROPHET, France—With sculpture as her medium, she has produced work that is widely recognized and acclaimed both here and in Europe. She has exhibited at Le Salon d'Automne and at Le Salon des Artistes Francais, and in New York at the 56th Street Galleries and the Anderson Gal­ leries' annual Salons of America. In 1929 her "Head of a Negro" won the Otto H. Kahn prize at the Harmon Exhibit. Miss Prophet has lived for the past six years in Paris, where she has been a student at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts. Her earliest training- was received at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been highly commended by Henry O. Tanner. DAN TERRY REID, Washington, D. C.—Still a student at Howard University, he has already had his work exhibited in local shows. He has studied one summer at the Wicker School of Fine Arts in Detroit, and plans to continue his art education at the Art Institute in Chicago. He holds three scholarships at Howard. O. RICHARD REID, New York—His paintings of well known men and women have gained for him considerable recognition. Fannie Hurst, John Barrymore, Henry Goddard Leach and Henry L. Mencken are among those who have sat for him. He has ex­ hibited at the Independent Artists' show here and at the Urban League. He paints only in his spare time, earning his living by working in a hotel. His training was received at the Pennsyl­ vania Academy of Fine Arts. REDVERS DONALD REID, New York—A tailor by trade, he has pur­ sued his studies at the New York Evening High School and the Art Students' League. His pictures have been shown at the Harlem Library. He is a native of British Guiana, where he received his early education. 46 THUMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS

I. H. D. ROBINSON, New York—Having been an army man for many years, Mr. Johnson is at present employed as a United States Customs guard. In his spare time he has studied at the Brooklyn Art School and the Art Students' League. His work has been hung at the Harlem Library. AUGUSTA SAVAGE, FRANCE—She is spending a two year study period in France on a scholarship awarded her by the Julius Rosenwald Fund. She was born in Florida and came to New York to study at Cooper Union, where she completed a four year course in three years. She has worked with H. A. MacNeil and Onorio Ruotolo, maintaining herself by free-lancing. She is a sculptress and her latest medium is palm-wood.

WILLIAM EDOUARD SCOTT, Chicago—Considered to be one of the most notable of our American Negro artists, Mr. Scott is a por­ traitist and a mural painter. He has studied with Henry O. Tan­ ner in France, where he attended the Julian Academy, previously having won the Magnus Grand Prize twice while a student at the Chicago Art Institute. He has exhibited at the Salon des Beaux Arts in France, and in 1927 received the Harmon Gold Medal in Fine Arts. His murals and portraits may be seen in many public buildings throughout the country.

ALBERT ALEXANDER SMITH, France—By playing a banjo, he earns the money to carr\- on his art work, which is widely recognized and praised. He has exhibited at the Paris Salon and L'Hotel Beau Site in Cannes. He received one of the Amy E. Spingarn prizes in an illustration contest sponsored by The Crisis. His work received the 1929 Harmon Bronze award in Fine Arts. During his years of study at the National Academy of Design, he won the Suydum Medal in 1919, the Chaloner prize in the same year and the Tanner Gold Medal.

MARY LEE TATE, Cincinnati—An art teacher, she collects antiques as a hobby. Her work is soft in coloring, mannered and decora­ tive. A native of Kentucky, she was educated in Cincinnati and obtained her degree at the University. She has continued her studies at the Cincinnati Art Academy and the University of Chicago.

DANIEL NORMAN TILLMAN, Youngstown, Ohio—A commercial artist during his working hours, and a portrait painter in his leisure time, he cultivates music as a hobby. He is a native of Pennsylvania, received his education at the Wilberforce Govern­ ment Reserve, and later studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Since then he has continued his work in music and art under private instruction. He has worked with the Woolworth Company and several furniture companies. He is a member of the Mahoning Society of Painters of Youngstown. THUMB-NAIL SKETCHES OF EXHIBITING ARTISTS 47

LAURA WHEELER WARING. Philadelphia—Mrs. Waring, whose work has been hung in such places as the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Pennsylvania Academy, showed her interest in art as a small child. On com­ pletion of six years of study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, she received a traveling scholarship for study abroad. To supplement her work of teaching at the Cheyney Training School for Teachers, she has studied during the summers at Har­ vard and Columbia. She was granted the Harmon Gold Award in Fine Arts in 1928.

JAMES LESESNE WELLS, New York—The recipient of this year's Harmon Gold Award. Mr. Wells has already earned his posi­ tion as one of the outstanding young artists of America. Hi.i work in black and white particularly has been widely acclaimed. Hi- block-print illustrations have appeared in many publications during the past few years, including the Survey, Opportunity and in Willis Richardson's "Piays and Pageants of Negro Life". His work b.as been hung at the Downtown Gallery, the Salons of America, and Neuman's Print Room in New York as well as throughout the country. Mr. Wells is a native of Georgia, and was educated at Florida Industrial and Collegiate Institute, Teachers College and the National Academy. Since 1929, he has been connected with the art department at Howard University.

RICHARD MILKY WILLIAMS, Chicago—Educated only through the primary grades in rural districts, he has received considerable recognition for his paintings of famous aviators. His portrait of Lindbergh was purchased by the Roosevelt High School in Chicago. His regular work is as janitor in an apartment house. In addition he is a member of a radio quartette, and makes lampshades. He hopes eventually to give all his time to his art. He is a charter member of the Chicago Art League.

ARTHUR GLEN WINSLOW, Chicago—A one-time pupil of Utrillo, Mr. Winslow is an adventurer as well, having twice worked his wav around the world. At present he is a hotel attendant, but be hopes eventually to give all his time to painting. He is in­ tensely religious and is particularly interested in the interpreta­ tion of biblical themes.

HALE ASPACIO WOODRUFF, France—Mr. Woodruff is at present studying in Paris. A small sum of money given him, after he re­ ceived the Harmon Bronze Award in 1926 in Fine Arts, by an art patron enabled him to go abroad. He has studied at L'Académie de la Grande Chaumière and traveled on the Riviera. Before leaving this country he was a secretary in the Y. M. C. A., a position he achieved after starting in that organization as an office bov. He was born in Illinois, and educated in Nashville. y? " LIBRARY M, M. A.

w*T 2 2 1931

THE OLD SERVANT Edwin Augustus Harleston Locke Portrait Prize of $150