Feature Articles

June Issue 1999

 

The Walter O. Evans Collection At The Columbia Museum Of Art

 

 

One of the finest privately owned collections of African-American art will be on view at the Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, from June 19 through Sept. 5, 1999. The Walter 0. Evans Collection of African-American Art will provide museum visitors with a comprehensive look at the work of some of this country's finest 19th century artists - Edward M. Bannister, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Edmonia Lewis and Robert S. Duncanson - as well as the 20th century masters - Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett and Jacob Lawrence.

Walter O. Evans, a Detroit physician, is an avid and knowledgeable collector of African-American art, rare books and historical documents relevant to the African-American experience. For Evans, it is imperative that works in his collection illustrate African or African-American ideas, whether they be portraits, landscapes or abstract works. The exhibition of 80 works by 34 artists presents paintings, drawings, photographs, collages and sculptures that trace the evolution of African-American art from "mainstream" works to portrayals of the black experience.

The earliest works in the collection are pastoral landscapes in the Hudson River School tradition. These paintings parallel the mainstream academic traditions of the mid- to late 19th century. The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement are represented by the work of Aaron Douglas, including a drawing for the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers (1941) by Langston Hughes. Archibald Motley, Charles White and Margaret Burroughs portray the Chicago School of the 1930s and 40s, with its emphasis on social realism, in stylized paintings.

The art of our own time is extravagantly represented by the works of Bearden, Lawrence and Richard Hunt, all of whom are personal friends of Dr. Evans. The collector's interest in contemporary Haitian art is evidenced by the work of Prosper Pierrelouis, Wilson Bigaud and Georges Larratte.

This exhibition is made possible by a generous grant from Richland County. Additional support has been provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina, The National Bank of South Carolina (NBSC) and WIS-Television.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Museum at 803/799-2810.

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