Romare Bearden, one of the most prolific, original, and acclaimed American artists of the twentieth century, depicted scenes and figures rooted in the American South and the Black experience. in this trenchant reappraisal of Bearden's life and art, Glenda Gilmore reveals his deep imagination, extensive training and rich knowledge of art history.

"Romare Bearden (1911-1988), one of the most prolific, original, and acclaimed American artists of the twentieth century, richly depicted scenes and figures rooted in the American South and the Black experience. Bearden hailed from North Carolina but was forced to relocate to the North when a white mob harassed [his family] in the 1910s. His family story is a compelling, complicated saga of Black middle-class achievement in the face of relentless waves of white supremacy. It is also a narrative of the generational trauma that slavery and racism inflicted over decades. But as Glenda Gilmore reveals in this trenchant reappraisal of Bearden's life and art, his work reveals his deep imagination, extensive training and rich knowledge of art history"--