18

ROMARE HOWARD BEARDEN

American, 1911-1988

Roots

lithograph with hand collage
titled and numberedRoots AP 4/15 in pencil lower left; signed Romare Bearden in pencil lower right
image: 23 3/4 x 18 in., frame: 32 3/4 x 26 in.

  • Provenance: The artist; 17 Wendell Street Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts; acquired from the above by a Wellesley, Massachusetts Collector, June 20, 1978; The Estate of a Wellesley, Massachusetts Collector.

    Exhibitions: Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, (Massachusetts) Boston Collects Bearden May 1982 (label verso).

  • Notes: According to Jane B. Shapiro at the 17 Wendell Street Gallery, this work is number 4 out of 15 artist proofs. The work is accompanied by a letter from Shapiro explaining, 17 Wendell Street Gallery asked Romare Bearden to collage two lithographs of "Roots" as he and the printers had originally planned. Bearden collaged the sun, both birds, and the ship and flag on the 4th of 15 APs. The plain lithograph was issued in a limited edition of 100; then the printers pulled 20 more which were [indistinct] the artist and numbered separately. The artist wanted the 20 extra to sell in a fund-raising effort for his wife's dance company Chamber Dance Company. Of these the 2nd of the 20 was collaged for 17 Wendell Street Gallery - sun, one bird, and the blue section of the flag shirt. As far as the Gallery knows no other "Roots" lithographs have been collaged.

    During the Black Lives Matter protests in Boston this June, our gallery door was spray painted with the message "#BLM DO BETTER, ART WORLD!" With the consignment of thirteen works by Black artists to The Fall Auction, we have identified an opportunity to do so. Grogan & Company will contribute 5% of our proceeds from the sale of lots 16 through 28 to Boston's Artists For Humanity. Our donation will provide support to the next generation of BIPOC artists, and is meant to encourage others in the art world to take the challenge to "Do Better." Artists For Humanity (AFH) provides under-resourced teens the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design. Visit Artists For Humanity's website to learn more.
  • Condition: Overall good condition. Collaged birds slightly yellowed. Framed under UF3 plexi.

    Please note: All property is sold "AS IS" and any statement, whether oral or written, is given as a courtesy and shall not be deemed as a guarantee, warranty, or representation of the authenticity of authorship, physical condition, size, quality, rarity, importance, provenance, exhibitions, literature or historical relevance of the property or otherwise. The absence of a condition report does not imply the item is in perfect condition.

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November 15, 2020 11:00 AM EST
Boston, MA, US

Grogan & Company

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