Paintings and Drawings by Black Artists, 1930s–1970s

Palmer Hayden (American, 1890–1973)
Spirituals (Dreams), c. 1935
Watercolor and graphite on paper, 14 11/16 × 9 1/2” (37.3 × 24.1 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

My long-standing interest in the work of Black American artists is celebrated here. Many of these works are no longer in the collection, but they have found excellent homes in public institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, Crystal Bridges, The Museum of Modern Art, Saint Louis Art Museum, The Whitney, and the Williams College Museum of Art, where they can be studied and enjoyed by many and enter the broader discourse.

Joseph Delaney (American, 1904-1991)
Harlem, NY 1934, c. 1935
Watercolor on paper, 15 x 11” (38.1 × 27.9 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown

Charles Wilbert White (American, 1918-1979)
Untitled (Seated Woman), c. 1939
Oil monotype on cream wove paper, 9 x 7” (22.8 x 17.9 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Felton E. Coleman (American, 1911-2002)
Camp Meeting, c. 1940s
Oil on board, 16 x 20” (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Merrill C. Berman Collection

William H. Johnson (American, 1901-1970)
Left: Children (Three Girls), 1941
Oil and pencil on wood panel, 17 1/2 x 12 1/2” (44.5 x 31.8)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Right: Homesteaders, c. 1942
Gouache, ink, and pencil on paper, 19 x 15 3/8” (48.3 x 39.1 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Horace Pippin (American, 1888-1946)
Sunday Morning Breakfast, 1943
Oil on fabric, 16 x 20” (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Saint Louis Art Museum

Eldzier Cortor (American, 1916-2015)
Left: Drawing for Southern Gate, c. 1942–43
Ink on paper, 28 1/2 × 13 1/2” (72.4 × 34.3 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Final painting: Smithsonian American Art Museum

Eldzier Cortor (American, 1916-2015)
Left: Drawing for Interior, c. 1947
Pen and ink on paper, 26 x 15 1/2” (66 x 39.4 cm)
Merrill C. Berman Collection
Final painting: Private collection

Eldzier Cortor (American, 1916-2015)
The Room No. VI, 1948
Oil and gesso on Masonite, 42 1/4 × 31 1/2” (107.3 × 80 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Art Institute of Chicago

John Biggers (American, 1924-2001)
The Garbage Man, 1944
Oil on panel, 33 x 40” (83.8 x 101.6 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville

John Biggers (American, 1924-2001)
Left: Victim of the City Streets, #2, 1946
Oil on canvas, 40 x 20” (101.6 × 50.8 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville
Right: Mother and Children, 1947
Conte crayon and gouache on board, 31 x 23” (78.7 x 58.4 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown

Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917-2000)
Makeup (Dressing Room), 1952
Egg tempera on hardboard, 20 x 24” (50.8 x 61 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection; now Private collection

Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917-2000)
Northbound, 1962
Tempera on board, 24 x 30” (61 x 76.2 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection; now Private collection

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (American, 1940-2015)
Left: Oh Mary, Don't You Weep, 1978
Mixed media on panel, 74 3/4 × 23 1/2” (189.9 × 59.7 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown
Right: Slavery Chain, 1978
Mixed media on heavy stock, 94 1/4 × 37 1/4” (239.4 × 94.6 cm)
Formerly Merrill C. Berman Collection;
now Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown

April 4, 2023