Jacob Lawrence
- Introduction
- Jacob Armstead Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter known for his portrayal of African-American historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", although by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem. He brought the African-American experience to life using blacks and browns juxtaposed with vivid colors. He also taught and spent 16 years as a professor at the University of Washington. Lawrence is among the best-known twentieth-century African-American painters, known for his modernist illustrations of everyday life as well as narratives of African-American history and historical figures. At the age of 23 he gained national recognition with his 60-panel The Migration Series, which depicted the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North. The series was purchased jointly by the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Lawrence's works are in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Northwest Art. His 1947 painting The Builders hangs in the White House.
- Wikidata
- Q355566
- Introduction
- Jacob Lawrence was the first African-American painter whose work was displayed in the collection of MOMA in New York. His bright, colorful, genre painters became associated with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930s and 1940s. Lawrence got his start as an artist by taking classes at the Utopia Neighborhood House, 135th Street Library, and the Harlem Workshop in New York City. He was then supported by the Federal Arts Project through the WPA during the Depression. Outside of his career as an artist, Lawrence taught classes at the Art Students League, Bradeis University, Black Mountain College, the Skohegan School, and the University of California. He also served as a professor and coordinator at the Pratt Institute in New York city.
- Nationalities
- American, African American
- Gender
- Male
- Roles
- Artist, Painter
- Names
- Jacob Lawrence, Jacob Armstead Lawrence, Jacob A. Lawrence
- Ulan
- 500027690
Exhibitions
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402: In and Around Harlem
Ongoing
MoMA
Collection gallery
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Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive
Jun 12–Oct 1, 2017
MoMA
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One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and Other Visions of the Great Movement North
Apr 3–Sep 7, 2015
MoMA
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American Modern: Hopper to O’Keeffe
Aug 17, 2013–Jan 26, 2014
MoMA
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Painting &
Sculpture II Nov 20, 2004–Aug 5, 2015
MoMA
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Jacob Lawrence has
20 exhibitionsonline.
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Jacob Lawrence The World War had caused a great shortage in Northern industry and also citizens of foreign countries were returning home 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The Negro was the largest source of labor to be found after all others had been exhausted 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The trains were packed continually with migrants 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence They did not always leave because they were promised work in the North. Many of them left because of Southern conditions, one of them being great floods that ruined the crops, and therefore they were unable to make a living where they were 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence They were very poor 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The railroad stations were at times so over-packed with people leaving that special guards had to be called in to keep order 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Among the social conditions that existed which was partly the cause of the migration was the injustice done to the Negroes in the courts 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Although the Negro was used to lynching, he found this an opportune time for him to leave where one had occurred 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The migration gained in momentum 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence In many of the communities the Negro press was read continually because of its attitude and its encouragement of the movement 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Another of the social causes of the migrants' leaving was that at times they did not feel safe, or it was not the best thing to be found on the streets late at night. They were arrested on the slightest provocation 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Child labor and a lack of education was one of the other reasons for people wishing to leave their homes 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence And people all over the South began to discuss this great movement 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The labor agent who had been sent South by Northern industry was a very familiar person in the Negro counties 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence In every home people who had not gone North met and tried to decide if they should go North or not 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The railroad stations in the South were crowded with people leaving for the North 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The Negro press was also influential in urging the people to leave the South 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence They arrived in great numbers into Chicago, the gateway of the West 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence They also worked in large numbers on the railroad 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence The migrants arrived in great numbers 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence They also made it very difficult for migrants leaving the South. They often went to railroad stations and arrested the Negroes wholesale, which in turn made them miss their train 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Living conditions were better in the North 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Industries attempted to board their labor in quarters that were oftentimes very unhealthy. Labor camps were numerous 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Housing for the Negroes was a very difficult problem 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Race riots were very numerous all over the North because of the antagonism that was caused between the Negro and white workers. Many of these riots occurred because the Negro was used as a strike breaker in many of the Northern industries 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence One of the largest race riots occurred in East St. Louis 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence One of the main forms of social and recreational activities in which the migrants indulged occurred in the church 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence Among one of the last groups to leave the South was the Negro professional who was forced to follow his clientele to make a living 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence In the North the Negro had better educational facilities 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence And the migrants kept coming 1940-41
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Jacob Lawrence A Family 1943
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Jacob Lawrence Sedation 1950
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Jacob Lawrence Street Shadows 1959
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Jacob Lawrence Builders No.3 1974
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Will Barnet, Colleen Browning, Audrey Flack, Joseph Hirsch, Robert Indiana, Red Grooms, Alex Katz, Edward Ruscha, Fritz Scholder, Jacob Lawrence, Various Artists Kent Bicentennial Portfolio: Spirit of Independence 1974–75, published 1975
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Jacob Lawrence The 1920's ... The Migrants Arrive and Cast Their Ballots from Kent Bicentennial Portfolio: Spirit of Independence 1974, published 1975
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Jacob Lawrence Hiroshima 1983
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Jacob Lawrence To Preserve Their Freedom from the series The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture 1988
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Jacob Lawrence The March from the series The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture 1995
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Jacob Lawrence The Opener from the series The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture 1997
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