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 Original Watercolor Cityscape Painting
By Romare Bearden
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Romare Bearden Title: Untitled Medium: Original Watercolor on Paper Size: Sheet measures 9.375" x 12.675" Year: c. 1980 Inscription: Signed in pencil on front upper left Fort...
Paper, Watercolor
Price Upon Request
The Soul Never Dwells in a Dry Place
By Romare Bearden
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Romare Bearden, American (1911 - 1988) Title: The Soul Never Dwells in a Dry Place Date: October, 1946 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.l. Size: 24 in. x 31 in. (60.96 ...
Oil
Russian Cubist Portrait of a Woman
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful cubist portrait of a woman by unknown Russian artist. Oil on canvas measures 17 x 25 inches. Signed and dated lower right. Label fragments affixed on verso.
Canvas, Oil
$1,150
H 40 in W 55.2 in
Illustration Style Diptych of Ripe Pomegranate Tree, Acrylic Painting on Paper
By Romina Milano
Located in Barcelona, ES
This beautiful painting by Romina Milano presents a contemporary interpretation of pomegranates, rendered through expressive brushwork and a vibrant, balanced palette. Organic forms ...
Acrylic, Watercolor, Paper
$790
H 40 in W 28 in
Hibiscus Garden, Vertical Modern Still Life in Pastel Tones of Vivid Flowers
By Romina Milano
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Hibiscus Garden I" is an abstract expressionist painting by Romina Milano where a dance of black gestures unfolds across colorful brushstrokes infused with raw emotion. Romina Mil...
Acrylic, Watercolor, India Ink, Paper
$720
H 28 in W 40 in
Evening in The Tropics, Geometric Tiles in Yellow, Miami Sunset Patterns
By Natalia Roman
Located in Barcelona, ES
These series of paintings by Natalia Roman gather their inspiration from geometric, minimalist shapes and paintings from the beginning of Modernism, with a special emphasis on Art De...
Watercolor, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
$1,380
H 36.2 in W 48 in
Blossom Diptych, Monoprint on Japanese Paper, Pastel Tones Flowers Patterns 2025
By Enric Servera
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series by Enric Servera explores the relationship of humans to salt and seawater. The intention of these works is to submerge us into the sea, a salty treasure that surrounds us...
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Monoprint
$3,971
H 29 in W 46 in
Huge 1950's Post-Cubist French Oil Painting Grey Nude Lady Sunbathing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Large Post-Cubist Reclining Nude Interior Composition French Oil Painting by Laure Noetzin-Azam (French 1929-2024) pupil of André LHOTE oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 29 x 46 inches...
Oil
Chez La Modiste
By Jean François Thomas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jean Thomas 1923-2019 Signed and Dated Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lyon, Jean Thomas began exhibiting his works in 1946. His first paintings, influenced by the great ...
Oil
$2,206
H 36.23 in W 25.6 in D 1.19 in
Cubist-Inspired Female Portrait, Oil on Canvas, Early 20th Century Inspiration
By Menachem Gueffen
Located in NANTES, FR
This Cubist-inspired portrait of a woman was created by the painter Menachem Gueffen. Faithful to the artist’s figurative-expressionist style, this oil on canvas is distinguished by ...
Burlap, Oil
$3,365
H 39 in W 32 in
Large 1950's French Post-Cubist Oil Painting Picasso Style Nude Portrait
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Artists Model by Laure Noetzin-Azam (French 1929-2024) pupil of André LHOTE oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 39 x 32 inches Provenance: all the paintings we have by this artist ...
Oil
$2,416
H 26 in W 20 in
1950's French Cubist Seated Figure Reading Newspaper Modernist Interior Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Cubist Seated Figure Reading Newspaper Modernist Interior Study by Jacques Courtade (1924–2010) French artist, mid-20th century Stamped verso oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 26 x 20 ...
Oil
$2,670
H 31.5 in W 47.25 in
Untitled 2 - Contemporary Expressive Abstract Painting, Conceptual Art
By Urszula Wilk
Located in Salzburg, AT
The painting on paper will be shipped rolled up in a tube. Urszula Wilk – artist statment: I have always been interested in the idea of infiniteness of a painting and its opposite –...
Paper, Watercolor
Charles Liberte, Cubist Seated Female Nude
Located in Astoria, NY
Charles Liberte (XX), Cubist Seated Female Nude, Oil on Canvas, signed to verso, unframed. 33" H x 25" W. Provenance: From the Allen Tucker Memorial Collection.
Canvas, Oil