Johnnie Lee Gray
Blue and Gray

About the Item

After reading about the Civil War in an Ebony Magazine Encyclopedia series, Gray illustrated the heroism of the black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The all-black 54th Regiment of Massachusetts fighting unit, has been the most mentioned fighting unit, bit there were other units if black soldiers that fought in the War Between the States. In "Blue and Gray", Gray depicts a battle scene between the black regiment, the Massachusetts 54th, and a confederate regiment against the backdrop of enslaved blacks work in the cotton field. The collection of available works artist Johnnie Lee Gray is handled exclusively by Neema Fine Art Gallery, an art gallery featuring phenomenal works of art by phenomenal Southern African American artists. Artist, Johnnie Lee Gray was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina in 1941. In his early years, Gray demonstrated artistic talent, painting & drawing as a way to express his emotions & depict his surroundings. Working alongside his grandparents in the fields of their sharecropper farm, & later as a carpenter, textile mill worker, & house painter, Gray learned early on to use the materials of his milieu to create works of art that drew on his memories & experiences as a black American man. After graduating from the county’s segregated Lincoln High School in 1960, Gray enlisted in the Army, where he served for seven years, including an 18-month volunteer tour of duty in Vietnam. As a Vietnam Veteran and self-taught artist, Gray’s work illustrated his experiences in the military as an African-American and the participation of black people in the history of the American and world landscape. Described as “visionary” “outsider” artist, the patterned shapes, visual texture, vibrant palettes and repetitive forms showcased in his paintings are recognizable characteristics of his historical narratives. The PBS television series, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow aired nationally in the fall of 2002 & prominently featured Grays work. The series was sponsored by New York Life Insurance & gave new attention & recognition to Gray's work. The public response from the series prompted a traveling exhibition in 2003, curated by Dr. Gwendolyn H. Everett of Howard University, with its official opening night at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY. From 2003-2009, Johnnie Lee Gray’s work was exhibited in such venues as the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda, Washington D.C.; The Forbes Galleries, Manhattan, NY; Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, IL; Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA; California State University, Northridge, CA; the Spartanburg County Museum of Art, SC; University of Virginia Art Museum, Charlottesville, VA; Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC; Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA; Livingstone College, Salisbury, NC; Converse College Milliken Art Gallery, Spartanburg, SC; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem, NY; and the Cherokee County History & Arts Museum, Gaffney, SC. Significant exhibitions include traveling solo exhibits: “Rising Above Jim Crow: The paintings of Johnnie Lee Gray”, 2003 and “Landscape of Slavery: The Plantation in American Art”, 2007-2008.

Creator:
Johnnie Lee Gray (1941 - 2000, American)
Dimensions:
Height: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)Width: 40.25 in (102.24 cm)
Medium:
Acrylic
Period:
21st Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Charelston, SC
Reference Number:
Seller: 1311stDibs: LU2016210467722
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Johnnie Lee Gray

Artist Johnnie Lee Gray (1941-2000) was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina in 1941. In his early years, Gray demonstrated artistic talent, painting and drawing as a way to express his emotions and depict his surroundings. Working alongside his grandparents in the fields of their sharecropper farm and later as a carpenter, textile mill worker, and house painter, Gray learned early on to use the materials of his milieu to create works of art that drew on his memories and experiences as a black American man. After graduating from the country's segregated Lincoln High School in 1960, Gray enlisted in the Army where he served for 7 years, including an 18-month volunteer tour of duty in Vietnam. As a Vietnam Veteran and self-taught artist, Gray's work demonstrates his experiences in the military as an African-American and the participation of black people in the history of the American and world landscape. Described as "visionary" "outsider" artist, the patterned shapes, visual textures, vibrant palettes and repetitive forms showcased in his paintings are recognizable characteristics of his historical narratives. The PBS television series, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, aired nationally in the Fall of 2002 and prominently featured Gray's work. The series was sponsored by New York Life Insurance and gave new attention and recognition to Gray's work. The public response from the series prompted a traveling exhibition in 2003 curated by Dr. Gwendolyn H. Everett of Howard University, with its official opening night at the Schaumburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY. From 2003-2009, Johnnie Lee Gray's work was exhibited in such venues as the Russell Senate Office Building Rotunda, Washington, DC; The Forbes Galleries, Manhattan, NY; Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, IL; Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA; California State University, Northridge, CA; the Spartanburg County Museum of Art, South Carolina; University of Virginia Art Museum, Charlottesville, VA; Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC; Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA; Livingstone College, Salisbury, NC; Converse College Milliken Art Gallery, Spartanburg, SC; the Schaumburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem, NY; and the Cherokee County History and Arts Museum, Gaffney, SC. The collection of available original works by Johnnie Lee Gray is handled exclusively by Neema Fine Art Gallery under the direction of owner and curator, Meisha Johnson. Significant exhibitions, including traveling solo exhibitions, include "Rising Above Jim Crow: The Paintings of Johnnie Lee Gray", in 2003 and "Landscape of Slavery: The Plantation in American Art", running from 2007-2008.