Summertime
- Date
- 1967
- Material
- Collage on board
- made in
- United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Collages & montages
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 56 × 44 in. (142.2 × 111.8 cm)
framed: 68 3/8 × 56 1/8 × 2 1/4 in. (173.7 × 142.6 × 5.7 cm) - Credit Line
- Museum Minority Artists Purchase Fund
- Rights
- © Romare Bearden Foundation / Licensed by ARS, New York, NY
- Object Number
- 22:1999
NOTES
In the center of this collage, a woman holds an ice-cream cone. Or is she grasping a microphone to sing? The narrow space of the sidewalk provides an almost stage-like setting. The man beside her rests in a chair outside a brownstone, with two faces gazing out from their respective windows. Pulsating with energy, this collage evokes a warm, summer day.
The various interpretations of Summertime highlight several themes Romare Bearden explored through his work including aspects of African American life, jazz music, and the city. His collaging practice speaks to the multilayered and multifaceted dimensions of African American realities. Bearden once said, “[what] I’ve attempted to do is establish a world through art in which the validity of my Negro experience could live and make its own logic.”
The various interpretations of Summertime highlight several themes Romare Bearden explored through his work including aspects of African American life, jazz music, and the city. His collaging practice speaks to the multilayered and multifaceted dimensions of African American realities. Bearden once said, “[what] I’ve attempted to do is establish a world through art in which the validity of my Negro experience could live and make its own logic.”
Provenance
Cordier and Ekstrom Gallery, New York, NY [1]
by 1973 -
Jesse and Toby Shanok, East Brunswick, NJ [2]
- 1999
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York, NY
1999 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Michael Rosenfeld Gallery [3]
Notes:
[1] Cordier and Ekstrom Gallery are listed as owners on an invoice dated June 10, 1999 from Michael Rosenfeld Gallery. Dates of ownership are not provided on this documant [SLAM document files].
[2] In a 1973 publication, Jesse and Toby Shanock are listed as owners of the work [Washington, McCleary Bunch. "The Art of Romare Bearden: The Prevalence of Ritual." New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1973.]. According to address labels on the verso of the painting, Jesse and Toby Shanok lived in East Brunswick, NJ.
[3] Invoice dated June 3, 1999 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 3, 1999.
by 1973 -
Jesse and Toby Shanok, East Brunswick, NJ [2]
- 1999
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York, NY
1999 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Michael Rosenfeld Gallery [3]
Notes:
[1] Cordier and Ekstrom Gallery are listed as owners on an invoice dated June 10, 1999 from Michael Rosenfeld Gallery. Dates of ownership are not provided on this documant [SLAM document files].
[2] In a 1973 publication, Jesse and Toby Shanock are listed as owners of the work [Washington, McCleary Bunch. "The Art of Romare Bearden: The Prevalence of Ritual." New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1973.]. According to address labels on the verso of the painting, Jesse and Toby Shanok lived in East Brunswick, NJ.
[3] Invoice dated June 3, 1999 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, June 3, 1999.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.