Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
One of the first Black artists to receive national acclaim in the United States, Jacob Armstead Lawrence (1917–2000) was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, before moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then to Harlem, New York, in 1930. While enrolled in a community after-school arts program, Lawrence developed his talents as a painter, drawing praise and encouragement from artist Charles Alston, who ran the program at the time. Despite his family’s financial struggles during the Great Depression, Lawrence continued his pursuit of the arts, developing a series of multipanel realist paintings dedicated to iconic Black historical figures, including Toussaint L’Ouverture, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. In 1938, he had his first solo exhibition at the Harlem YMCA and had begun to work for the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
In 1940, Lawrence received a grant from a philanthropic organization called the Rosenwald Fund, which allowed him to begin what would become his most famous work: The Migration Series, a narrative piece comprised of casein tempera paint on 60 18-by-12-inch hardboard panels featuring captions he’d written before he began to paint. (Fellow artist and future wife Gwendolyn Knight helped with the text.) Lawrence’s series focuses on the Great Migration of Black Americans from the agricultural South to the industrial North between 1910 and 1940.
By the end of the 1940s, Lawrence had earned widespread recognition for his important work and was the most celebrated Black artist in the United States. He continued covering Black historical figures throughout his career, though he also painted social commentaries on contemporary issues, like World War II and civil rights. He taught at the Art Students League in New York and at Black Mountain College in North Carolina (upon invitation from artist Josef Albers), among other institutions.
Lawrence’s works can be found in the collections of many major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and elsewhere. His painting The Builders hangs in the White House today, as it was acquired by the White House Historical Association in 2007.
Find watercolor paintings, prints and more by Jacob Lawrence on 1stDibs.
1970s Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache
1930s American Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Oil, Gouache, Board
20th Century American Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache
20th Century Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache
1930s American Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache
1960s Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Paper, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
1970s American Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache
20th Century Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache
1930s American Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache, Board
1930s American Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Gouache, Board, Watercolor
1960s Modern Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Acrylic, Gouache, Mixed Media, Permanent Marker
20th Century Post-Impressionist Jacob Lawrence Figurative Paintings
Tempera, Board
Jacob Lawrence figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Artists Similar to Jacob Lawrence
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 1, 2024Jacob Lawrence was known for being one of the first Black artists to receive national acclaim in the United States. His narrative paintings include pieces on Black historical figures, World War II and civil rights. His most famous work — The Migration Series — focuses on the Great Migration of Black Americans from the agricultural South to the industrial North between 1910 and 1940. On 1stDibs, find a variety of Jacob Lawrence art.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Dynamic cubism is the style that American artist Jacob Lawrence is known for. Lawrence coined the term himself to describe the repeated patterns and vivid colors that defined his works. To produce his paintings, he largely drew inspiration from Harlem, New York. Find a selection of Jacob Lawrence on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 15, 2024In his artwork, Jacob Lawrence used Social Realism to portray the everyday lived experiences of Black Americans. His most famous work is The Migration Series, a narrative piece of 60 18-by-12-inch hardboard panels focused on the Great Migration of Black Americans from the agricultural South to the industrial North between 1910 and 1940. On 1stDibs, shop a diverse assortment of Jacob Lawrence art.