Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art

Closed November 25, 2001

The extraordinary scope and diversity of African American art was on view at Tacoma Art Museum with The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art. This is one of the most significant African American collections in the country, comprising works of African American art ranging from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Beginning with works made in the period prior to the Civil War, the exhibition comprises a chronological view of African American fine art traditions; in addition, the stories and challenges of individual artists were also evident. From the pioneering efforts of early artists – such as landscape painters Edward Mitchell Bannister and Robert Scott Duncanson to the early twentieth century with the Harlem Renaissance when artists began exploring African images and styles, as seen in the paintings and sculptures of Aaron Douglas and Richmond Barthé.