Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Inspired by the traditional art of Africa, Charles Robert Searles referenced masks, dancers and music in his kaleidoscopic paintings, sculptures, prints, public artworks and drawings. “Busy is the term that many people use when describing my paintings,” he wrote in a 1973 statement. “Busy yes, or I’d say full. Full of color, full of design, movement and people.”
Born in Philadelphia, Searles initially worked as a house painter before serving in the Army. He then studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts before traveling to Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco and other West African countries on a Cresson Traveling Scholarship. The experience was pivotal, with the sights and sounds he witnessed influencing the buoyant colors and dynamic scenes of his paintings. After returning to Philadelphia, Searles taught at the Ile Ife Black Humanitarian Center before moving to New York, where he set up a studio.
Searles’s work was featured in the 1969 “New Black Artists” exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. It was among the first shows to showcase Black modern artists. Searles’s work was also part of the 1971 “Contemporary Black Artists in America” at the Whitney Museum, where his painting News garnered critical acclaim. In 1974, the artist was commissioned to paint a mural in Philadelphia’s William J. Green Jr. Federal Building. The resulting piece, a vibrant panorama of dancers and drummers, merges the energy of American street festivals with Searles’s memories of Nigeria. While his later work was more abstract and often involved carved wooden elements, it was always imbued with a vivid sense of rhythm and movement.
Searles’s art has been exhibited around the world. It is in many permanent collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Woodmere Art Museum and Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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1960s Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Wood, Masonite, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Wood, Plywood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Arte Povera Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Wood, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Plaster, Wood, LED Light, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Steel
2010s Contemporary Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Plaster, Wood, LED Light, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Plexiglass, Plaster, Wood, LED Light, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
1980s Pop Art Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood
2010s Contemporary Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Fabric, Cotton, Wood, Tape, Mixed Media, Other Medium
1980s Contemporary Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Masonite, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Metal
2010s Contemporary Charles Robert Searles Sculptures
Metal