Romare Bearden was an inventive American modern artist whose unique visual style set him apart. Working with a variety of media, Bearden made paintings distinguished by a bold use of color and rich texture. His figurative, landscape and portrait prints had influences ranging from Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso to traditional Japanese, Chinese and African art.
Bearden was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1911. He pursued a degree in education and attended Lincoln University, Boston University and New York University. At New York University he began taking courses in art. During his time there, he served as the art editor and lead cartoonist at a journal called The Medley. To further his creative passions, Bearden attended the Art Students League of New York. From 1935 to 1937, he was the editorial cartoonist for the Baltimore Afro-American.
Bearden worked as a social worker from the mid-1930s until the 1960s. He continued creating art during his evenings and weekends and began exhibiting in solo shows across the United States in the 1940s. Bearden would go on to exhibit throughout Europe.
Bearden was a prolific writer on social issues, and his words complemented his art. He was active in African American advocacy groups and helped found important community art venues and organizations like the Harlem Cultural Council in 1964 and the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1968. He also published books on art and African American art history.
Bearden earned many prestigious honors, including honorary doctorates from Davidson College, Atlanta University, Carnegie Mellon University and Pratt Institute. Bearden also received the New York City Mayor’s Award of Honor for Art and Culture in 1984 and the National Medal of Arts in 1987, presented by President Ronald Reagan. He died in New York City on March 12, 1988.
Today, Bearden's work is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
On 1stDibs, find Romare Bearden’s prints, paintings, mixed media and more.
| Average Sold Price |
| $3,064 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Artists |
$8,500
H 30 in W 22 in D 1 in
The Open Door 1979 Signed Limited Edition Lithograph
By Romare Bearden
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Artist: Romare Bearden Title: The Open Door Year: 1979 Print: Lithograph on Somerset Paper Paper size : 22'' x 30'' Edition: Signed in pencil and marked 4/175 Romare Bearden is r...
Lithograph
$9,000
H 21.25 in W 27 in
QUILTING TIME Hand Signed Lithograph, Black Family Life African American Culture
By Romare Bearden
Located in Union City, NJ
QUILTING TIME is an original limited edition lithograph printed using traditional hand lithography methods on archival Somerset printmaking paper, 100% acid free. QUILTING TIME by th...
Lithograph
$8,750
H 28.25 in W 21.5 in
MORNING OF THE ROOSTER Signed Lithograph, Black Woman, African American Culture
By Romare Bearden
Located in Union City, NJ
MORNING OF THE ROOSTER is a limited edition color lithograph printed using traditional hand lithography methods on archival printmaking paper, 100% acid free, by the renowned African...
Lithograph
$5,500
H 27.5 in W 33.5 in D 1 in
Brass Section Jamming at Minton's 1979 Signed Lithograph by Romare Bearden
By Romare Bearden
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Artist: Romare Bearden Title Brass Section Jamming at Minton's from the Jazz Suite Year: 1979 Print - Lithograph on Arches Archival Paper Paper Size 27.75'' x 33.5'' Edition: Signed...
Lithograph
$9,000
H 21.5 in W 28.25 in
THE CONVERSATION Signed Lithograph, Black Women, Train, African American Culture
By Romare Bearden
Located in Union City, NJ
THE CONVERSATION is an original limited edition lithograph printed using traditional hand lithography methods on archival Somerset printmaking paper, 100% acid free. THE CONVERSATION...
Lithograph
$9,500
H 28.5 in W 20 in
THE LANTERN Hand Signed Lithograph, Collage Portrait, African American Heritage
By Romare Bearden
Located in Union City, NJ
THE LANTERN is an original, handmade limited edition lithograph printed in 13 colors from hand drawn lithography plates using traditional hand lithography methods on archival Somerse...
Lithograph
$9,250
H 29.5 in W 21.5 in
FALLING STAR Signed Lithograph Black Woman Portrait, African American Culture
By Romare Bearden
Located in Union City, NJ
FALLING STAR is a limited edition color lithograph printed using traditional hand lithography methods on archival printmaking paper, 100% acid free, by the renowned African American artist Romare Bearden. FALLING STAR presents a visual memory from Bearden's childhood in Mecklenburg County North Carolina expressed as a modern collage portrait depicting a black woman set in a nostalgic Southern domestic interior. FALLING STAR's main focus is a black woman standing on the right drinking from a blue and white teacup...
Lithograph
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.75 in W 21.125 in
Girl in the Garden (Gelburd/Rosenberg 62), Romare Bearden
By Romare Bearden
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Romare Bearden (1911-1988) Title: Girl in the Garden (Gelburd/Rosenberg 62) Year: 1979 Medium: Lithograph on vélin d’Arches paper Edition: 33/150, plus proofs Size: 28.75 x 2...
Lithograph
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Medium | Creation Year | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| $3,064 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $80-$7,650 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |