Romare Bearden: Resonances

Romare Bearden: Resonances will highlight modernist artist Romare Bearden and his relationships with other artists in the Museum’s collection. The exhibition will explore the varied ways Bearden served as a friend and mentor to his contemporaries. Bearden was well-known during his time and was in the company of artists such as Norman Lewis, Elizabeth Catlett, and Emma Amos and was inspired by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Zurbarán, Käthe Kollwitz, and Thomas Hart Benton.

This exhibition will spotlight Summertime, an important work by Bearden in the Museum’s collection that contains many themes Bearden highlighted in his work such as African American life, jazz, and the city. This is the first time in more than twenty years that Summertime will be on view. Drawing entirely from the Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection, the exhibition also features other artists such as Norman Lewis and Sam Middleton.

The exhibition will also celebrate the Museum’s Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship, which recently celebrated its 30th year anniversary. In the ways Romare Bearden supported artists of his day, the fellowship provides opportunities for emerging arts professionals to receive and give support.

Romare Bearden: Resonances is curated by Charlie Farrell, the 2022-2024 Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow, and Simon Kelly, curator of modern and contemporary art.