"Richmond Barthé: Builder of Pictures" now on display

Barthé with his Mask of a
Boy, circa 1931.

The Amistad Research Center is pleased to announce the opening of its latest exhibition, Richmond Barthé: Builder of Pictures, which is on display at the Center through July 8, 2011. This exhibition celebrates the life of Mississippi-born artist Richmond Barthé. The subject of a recent biography by art historian Margaret Rose Vendryes, Barthé is known for his eclectic and sensual visual language that allowed him to create an oeuvre that defied race and sexual orientation while, at the same time, elevating Black subjects above contemporary caricatures to render them timeless.

Taken mostly from the Richmond Barthé Papers at the Amistad Research Center, the materials on display include letters, photographs, sketches, writings, and sculptures related to his artistic journey from a student in Chicago to Harlem Renaissance star to expatriate in Jamaica.  The exhibition checklist is available on Amistad's website. The display is open during the Center's hours of M-F, 8:30-4:30.

Individuals interested in Barthé's life and works should also make plans to visit the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art, which is currently showing the exhibition Richmond Barthé: The Seeker, curated by Margaret Rose Vendryes.

Posted by Christopher Harter
(Image from the Richmond Barthé Papers. May not be reproduced without permission.)