Skip to main content

Romare Bearden

American, 1911-1988

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.

Romare Bearden - Mecklenburg Morning: Sunrise for China Lamp -
By Romare Bearden
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sku: CB8608 Artist: Romare Bearden Title: Mecklenburg Morning: Sunrise for China Lamp Year: 1993 Signed: No Medium: Serigraph Paper Size: 35 x 43.75 inches ( 88.9 x 111.125 cm ) Imag...
Category

1990s Contemporary Romare Bearden

Materials

Screen

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...
Category

1970s Abstract Romare Bearden

Materials

Lithograph

Girl In The Garden 1979 Signed Limited Edition Lithograph
By Romare Bearden
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Artist Name: Romare Bearden Title: Girl in the Garden Year: 1979 Medium Type: Lithograph on Arches Archival Paper Size-Width Size-Height: 22'' x 30'' Signed Edition Size: Signed in...
Category

1970s Romare Bearden

Materials

Lithograph

Bopping at Birdland (Stomp Time) from the Jazz Series Signed Limited Edition
By Romare Bearden
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Artist : Romare Bearden Title; Bopping at Birdland (stomp time) Year: 1979 Size: 33 ¼ x 24 inches Lithograph on Arches Paper Edition; Signed in pencil and marked 114/175 (Gelburd/Ros...
Category

1970s Abstract Romare Bearden

Materials

Lithograph

Pepper Jelly Lady, Modern Lithograph, signed and numbered by Romare Bearden
By Romare Bearden
Located in Long Island City, NY
Romare Bearden, American (1911 - 1988) - Pepper Jelly Lady, Year: 1980, Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed and numbered, Edition: 113/150, Size: 26 x 21 in. (66.04 x 53.34 cm...
Category

1980s Modern Romare Bearden

Materials

Lithograph

The Lantern Original 1979 lithograph stamp signed artist proof. MINT CONDITION
By Romare Bearden
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Romare Bearden The Lantern Original lithograph in colors on paper From the rare limited Artist's Proof edition Stamp Signature 28 1/2 in X 20 in 1979
Category

1970s Romare Bearden

Materials

Lithograph

“The Falling Star”
By Romare Bearden
Located in Warren, NJ
Romare Bearden lithograph “The Falling Star” signed and numbered. In good condition print measures 24x20.
Category

20th Century Romare Bearden

Materials

Lithograph

QUILTING TIME Signed Lithograph, African American Culture, Interior Scene, Quilt
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 the African American master artist Romare Bearden is from Bearden's Mecklenburg series of images depicting recollections from his childhood in rural Mecklenburg County, NC. A colorful, intimate interior scene showing a black woman and young man tending to a multicolor quilt. Bearden's well known visual motif - the quilt, refers back to a time when the African American quilting tradition was employed by enslaved black people who worked coded messages into their handmade quilts to pass on information about the Underground Railroad...
Category

1980s Contemporary Romare Bearden

Materials

Lithograph

Browse all Art from Romare Bearden
Shop Now

Artists Similar to Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Romare Bearden art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, pink and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Romare Bearden in lithograph, screen print, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Romare Bearden art, so small editions measuring 15 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Donald Baechler, Sandro Chia, and Peter Blake. Romare Bearden art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $275 and tops out at $50,000, while the average work can sell for $6,000.
Questions About Romare Bearden
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 17, 2021
    Romare Bearden is an artist best known for his inventive collage work. Bearden’s work depicts African American culture in a style derived from Cubism. Shop Bearden’s art on 1stDibs.

Recently Viewed

View All