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Robert Blackburn Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

American, 1920-2003

Robert Blackburn participated in the rich mix of art programs and creative groups available in Harlem as he was growing up, including Charles Alston's Harlem Arts Workshop, the Harlem YMCA, and later the Harlem Artists’ Guild. In 1937, Blackburn joined the WPA at the Harlem Community Art Center, the largest New York center for instruction in the arts. There, he was exposed to Harlem's most prominent artists, among them Aaron Douglas, William Henry Johnson, and Jacob Lawrence. Blackburn studied with Will Barnet and Vaclav Vytlacil at the Art Students League, which he attended in the early 1940s on scholarship. In 1949, he founded the Printmaking Workshop, an artist's cooperative modeled on Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17. Blackburn's ongoing commitment to the workshop and his innovative approach to the art of lithography was critical in shaping the development of the medium. In his capacity as a master printmaker, Blackburn collaborated with many major American artists, including Romare Bearden, Robert Motherwell, Jasper Johns, and Helen Frankenthaler. From an early age, Blackburn was the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including the Frederick Douglass Guidance and Art Medals, John Wanamaker Memorial Medal, Spingarn Award, Robert Pious Award, Poussant Award, G. T. Pinckney Award, and the John Hay Whitney Traveling Fellowship. Blackburn's work is represented in numerous major American art museums and collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Library of Congress.

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Artist: Robert Blackburn
Reclining Nude — Mid-Century Modernism, Renowned African American Artist
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Robert Blackburn, Untitled (Reclining Nude), brush and ink, c. 1948, unsigned. A fine, spontaneous work, on cream wove paper. Slight toning to the sheet edges; otherwise in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 18 3/4 x 23 1/2 inches (476 x 597 mm). Provenance: Adrienne E. Wheeler Collection, acquired from the artist. ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Blackburn (1920 - 2003) participated in the rich mix of art programs and creative groups available in Harlem as he grew up, including Charles Alston's Harlem Arts Workshop, the Harlem YMCA, and later the Harlem Artist's Guild. In 1937 he joined the WPA at the Harlem Community Art Center, the largest New York center for instruction in the arts. There he was exposed to Harlem's most prominent artists, Aaron Douglas, William Henry Johnson...
Category

1940s American Modern Robert Blackburn Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink

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Robert Blackburn drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Blackburn drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Blackburn in ink and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1940s and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Robert Blackburn drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 24 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Charles Ragland Bunnell, William Thon, and Virginia Dehn. Robert Blackburn drawings and watercolor paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,600 and tops out at $2,600, while the average work can sell for $2,600.

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