Guests to Hammonds House Museum will have an opportunity to view artwork that has rarely been on display when the museum presents Exhibiting Culture: Highlights from the Hammonds House Museum Collection. The exhibition is curated by Hammonds House Museum’s Executive Director and Chief Curator Karen Comer Lowe, and will be on view from August 6, 2021, through January 30, 2022.
Boasting more than 450 world-class works of art, the Hammonds House Museum permanent art collection dates from the mid-19th century by artists from America, Africa, and the Caribbean. At the center of the collection are 250 works collected by the former owner of Hammonds House, Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, including work by master artist Romare Bearden and the oldest known painting by acclaimed landscape artist Robert S. Duncanson. Featured in the Exhibiting Culture show will be works by Romare Bearden, Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Sam Gilliam, Richard Hunt, Hale Woodruff, Jacob Lawrence, and many more. Come explore incredible artwork by some of the world’s premiere African American artists, listen to engaging artist interviews on rotation in the museum, and enjoy a stroll through the new Artist Garden. To plan your visit, go to: hammondshouse.org.
Romare Bearden’s artwork includes memories from his childhood, thought-provoking statements about African American culture, and reinterpretations of biblical stories from an African American perspective. He is most well-known for his semi-abstract collages which he constructed from magazine clippings, paper scraps, and swatches of fabric daubed with paint.
Benny Andrews was an artist, educator, and activist. He developed a practice of incorporating collaged fabric and other materials into his figurative oil paintings. He also created mixed-media collage, sculptures, prints and drawings. He illustrated several books written by his brother, Raymond Andrews, as well as children’s books, including a biography of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis.
Elizabeth Catlett produced an unparalleled body of politically charged and aesthetically compelling graphic art and sculptures. Also, her impact as an educator was considered transformative, not only because of her teaching methods, but for her determination to have students visit museums during a time when African Americans were not allowed.
Sam Gilliam began his career in the 1960’s, a time of political and social change. His artwork was inspired by the African American experience, though some thought his abstract art was irrelevant to Black life. Around 1965, Gilliam introduced unsupported canvas artworks with drape paintings suspended from ceilings or arranged on walls or floors.
Richard Hunt is one of the foremost 20th Century African American abstract sculptors and artists of public sculpture. He is also an accomplished lithographer whose graphic prints echo the imagery of his sculptural works. His art has been described as “optimistic, energetic, and ever ascending upward.”
Hale Woodruff created paintings, woodcut prints, and murals that depict the historic struggle and perseverance of African Americans. After moving to New York in the late 1940’s, Woodruff’s style shifted from realism, to what he described as “semiabstract, symbolic painting.”
Jacob Lawrence was an American painter known for his portrayal of African American historical subjects and contemporary life. His works include several series featuring Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, the Great Migration of African Americans from rural areas of southern states to urban areas of the north, and the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Hammonds House Museum is generously supported by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Fulton County Arts and Culture, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, The National Performance Network, AT&T and WarnerMedia.
Hammonds House Museum’s mission is to celebrate and share the cultural diversity and important legacy of artists of African descent. The museum is the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, a prominent Atlanta physician and passionate arts patron. A 501(c)3 organization, the museum offers rotating exhibitions, artist talks, exhibition tours, arts education programs, family days, virtual programs, and other cultural events throughout the year. Located in a beautiful Victorian home in West End Atlanta, Hammonds House Museum is a cultural treasure and a unique venue. For more information, and to learn how you can support their mission and programming, or become a member, visit their website: hammondshouse.org.
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