Romare Bearden (1911-1988): Collage, A Centennial Celebration

Watching the Good Trains Go By, c.1969

The Dressmaker (aka: Mecklenburg Autumn: The China Lamp), 1983

Sunset Limited, 1974

Of the Blues:Mecklenburg County, Saturday Night, 1974

Romare Bearden (1911-1988) was an African-American artist born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. While Bearden's earlier work consisted of mostly figural paintings, during the early 1960s he turned to collage in "an attempt to redefine the image of man in terms of the black experience."

Cutting and pasting photographs, paper, fabric, newspaper, and magazines, Bearden often added ink, pencil, and oil to his surfaces, creating dazzling compositions that focused on themes as expansive as his own talent. He redefined the  "black experience" to include the images of rural and urban, African, American and Caribbean experiences.

Romare Bearden: Collage, A Centennial Celebration is presented at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery.

The works in this exhibition reflect the artist's belief that "art is made from other art." Viewing his works in person, you notice the color, beauty and texture of each piece of material and image, as they are all placed meticulously together to create a full image of another world. His works draw from African art and his passion for recreating new stories with pieces of old ones.

Romare Bearden: Collage, A Centennial Celebration is on view through 5/21/11. Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is located at 24 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.