Alma W. Thomas: A Retrospective of the Paintings - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764906860 ISBN 13: 9780764906862

Publisher: Pomegranate, 1998

Synopsis

The passion and talent of African American painter Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891-1978) shines through each of the full-color reproductions in this elegant book, the first comprehensive text published on Thomas’s life and work in over fifteen years. A gifted and dedicated artist whose life spanned vast social and political changes, Thomas steadfastly forged her path without regard to political or social expectations from the art world. In 1924 she became the first graduate of Howard University’s newly organized art department, and in 1972 she became the first African American woman to hold a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. This is the exhibition catalog for the show organized by the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, scheduled to travel to several American museums through January 2000.

About this title

From Library Journal

A pioneering figure in African American art history, Driskell has been honored on his retirement from the University of Maryland with an exhibition of selected works from his seminal collection. This accompanying catalog is intended as an homage to Driskell as scholar, teacher, artist, patron, and collector. The selected works were created from the mid-1800s to the early 1990s and are here grouped into historical periods based on the content of the art and what they say about the social, ethnic, and creative roles of the artists. Unique emphasis is placed on the influence of African American art teachers and institutions in fostering the development of black art. Essays by distinguished scholars provide background to the collection; especially interesting is Sharon Patton's history of African American art collecting. Narratives notes that Alma Thomas (1891-1978) "contradicted assumptions about appropriate subject matter and styles for African American artists [and]...rejected suggestions that she paint `black' subjects." The Fort Wayne Museum, IN, exhibition and catalog of over 50 of her paintings clearly demonstrates that Thomas's work is firmly rooted in the modernist tradition of abstractionAwith emphasis on vibrant colors generating geometric forms set in dynamic compositions. Four scholarly essays explicate her work and unique role in modern American art as a black woman artist. Both of these volumes are highly recommended for libraries with an interest in art and/or ethnic studies.AEugene C. Burt, Art Inst. of Seattle Lib.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pomegranate
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0764906860
• ISBN 13: 9780764906862
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144