A master of light and color, Edward L. Loper Sr. was an African-American artist from Wilmington, Delaware, who went on to become one of the most celebrated cultural figures in his home state.
Loper was not just a painter; he was also a dedicated teacher who worked hard to help his students see the world around them with fresh eyes. When he passed away in 2011, Delaware Today wrote: “Few local painters have achieved his level of recognition and influence, here and beyond, or have been as beloved by so many students.”
Loper did not have a formal art education. He had an insatiable appetite for learning about art, and his richly hued, expressive paintings, which include modernist depictions of landscapes, Cubist cityscapes and human figures, reveal his deep understanding of works by masters like Picasso, Cézanne and El Greco. Loper took frequent train rides to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, studied the work of painters Andrew Wyeth and Howard Pyle at the Wilmington Public Library and took courses under author and educator Violette de Mazia at the Barnes Foundation.
His first job as an artist was at the Works Progress Administration Art Project, a New Deal program that saw Loper painting depictions of furniture and toys for a large archive of folk art. In 1937, the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts (now the Delaware Art Museum) accepted one of Loper’s paintings, making him the first African-American artist in its collection.
“Once you learn to see as an artist, the world will never look the same again,” he said in Edward Loper: Prophet of Color, a 1999 award-winning documentary about his life. Despite his humble beginnings, Loper’s work is now in the permanent collections of eminent institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Howard University Gallery of Art. He also taught at the Allied Kid Company, Delaware Art Museum, Lincoln University and the Jewish Community Center in Delaware.
Find original Edward L. Loper art today on 1stDibs.
Pool Table
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
Excellent example of Loper Sr.'s work from this period. Exhibited at the Delaware art Museum show titled "Edward L. Loper from the Prism's Edge". Signed lower right. 43.75" x 30.75" ...
Oil, Panel
Propellers
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
Excellent example of Loper's work from the beginning of his late period. Exhibited at the Delaware art Museum show titled "Edward L. Loper from the Prism's Edge". There is a Delaware...
Canvas, Oil
$674
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.12 in
Original-Magic Bell-British Awarded Artist-Abstract Expression-oil on canvas
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
In her 2024 series, "The Weaver," Shizico explores forms, layers, and time onto canvases. Applying the format of diptychs and triptychs, she creates lyrical narratives, capturing the...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Winter Shadows 33
By Eleanor Woolley
Located in Deddington, GB
Winter Shadows 33 by Eleanor Woolley [October 2021] original Oil Paint on Canvas Image size: H:15 cm x W:15 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:15 cm x W:15 cm x D:3.8cm Sold Unfra...
Canvas, Oil
$4,800
H 44 in W 44 in D 1 in
Solar Dazzle, Abstract Art, Contemporary Art, Reflection Series of Water &Glass
By Ellen Hart
Located in Houston, TX
Celadon Sea Celadon Sea is part of C. Ellen Hart’s Reflection Series. The works feature reflections found on the surfaces of water and glass. She seeks out images that commonly ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,336Sale Price|23% Off
H 23.63 in W 19.69 in D 0.12 in
Original-Jardin d'Hiver-British Awarded Artist-Impasto, oil, goldleaf on Dahlias
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Jardin d'Hiver Series is Shizico Yi's latest collection, created in her winter studio while savouring for the summer left behind. Reflecting on the vibrant days spent painting en pl...
Gold Leaf
$1,155
H 24 in W 16 in
Passing Glimpses - Abstract Floral Botanical Still Life Oil Painting on Wood
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Denna Erickson’s original artworks move through layers of oil, where personal symbols and organic forms emerge through luminous color. Guided by intuition, her paintings unfold throu...
Oil, Wood Panel
Dmitri Wright - Daffodils Opus I, Painting 2018
By Dmitri Wright
Located in Stamford, CT
Oil on Panel WEIR FARM Series: “[This] series runs the full range from natural to post-impressionism, yet always having the themes of the American pictorial sense of place with an ...
Paint, Oil, Panel
$2,421
H 23.63 in W 15.75 in D 0.16 in
Original Oil, Golden Summer-Sunlit series , British Awarded Artist-framed
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
The painting was painted Plein Air, in Artist's own garden of the memorial roses she planted. This is Rosa Albertine, the first Old English variety Artist Shizico Yi planted in her garden in 2016, before her late dog died. Old English Roses...
Gold
Dmitri Wright - Daffodils Yellow V, Painting 2018
By Dmitri Wright
Located in Stamford, CT
Oil on panel WEIR FARM Series: “[This] series runs the full range from natural to post-impressionism, yet always having the themes of the American pictorial sense of place with an a...
Paint, Oil, Panel
$1,062
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.2 in
Original-Sunset Song II-British Awarded Artist-Impressionism-Plein Air evening
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Sunset Song Series was created entirely en plein air, painted directly under the dimming light of late-summer and autumn sunsets and moonlight, with no artificial light to guide her...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Composizione con Uccelli
By Pietro Piccoli
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Pietro Piccoli was born in 1954 in the small town of Montopoli di Sabina in central Italy. At...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
$75,000
H 72 in W 192 in D 2.25 in
Rachmaninov: Letter to Sergei, Abstract Impressionist Diptych
By Gail Chase-Bien
Located in Burlingame, CA
Inspired by cello music, diptych, oil canvas in two parts. Contemplative, warm cream, bronze abstract Impressionist diptych painting created in homage to the composer Rachmaninov, S...
Canvas, Linen, Oil, Panel
Dmitri Wright - Daffodils Bursting, Painting 2021
By Dmitri Wright
Located in Stamford, CT
Oil on panel WEIR FARM Series: “[This] series runs the full range from natural to post-impressionism, yet always having the themes of the American pictorial sense of place with an a...
Paint, Oil, Panel
Market Street
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
A perfect example of Loper's later work. Very Cezanne-like, except for Loper's fracturing of spaces. Loper studied at the Barnes Foundation starting in 1963. Works from this period, ...
Canvas, Oil
Reflection
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
One of two versions Loper Sr. painted. Photograph of Loper Sr. executing the painting is included.
Canvas, Oil
Experiment #2
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
A rare, abstract painting by Edward Loper Sr. circa 1960. The painting is done in heavy impasto. The subject matter is a still life with fruit and bottles...
Canvas, Oil
Hightde
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
Excellent example of Loper's mature style.
Canvas, Oil
Midnight Repose
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
Wonderful painting from highly desirable period of Loper's career. Heavy impasto, great working of paint.
Masonite, Oil
Old Farm, 1954
By Edward L. Loper Sr
Located in Greenville, DE
Edward L. Loper Sr. "Old Farm, 1954" oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 18" x 22" 25" x 30" in custom frame
Oil