The cover for our February 13 auction catalogue is a
self-portrait of James Amos Porter, who is often described as the father of
African-American art history. In addition to his notoriety as an artist and the
author of Modern Negro Art, he was an
influential teacher at Howard University for more than forty years.
After reading a brief account of a forgotten
African-American artist, Robert S. Duncanson, Porter decided to search for more
information about neglected African-American artists. Porter’s research on
African-American artists and artisans became the basis of his master’s thesis
while studying at New York University. Using his thesis as a
foundation, Modern Negro Art was
published in 1943. The book would become the first comprehensive history of
African-American art and is still considered a classic. It places
African-American art in the context of American art history.
Self-Portrait dates to his first sabbatical year in 1935, when he studied at New York
University and the Sorbonne, University of Paris, and is the first portrait
painting by Porter to come to auction. This image is one of the best-known
self-portraits by an African-American artist, and has been extensively
exhibited and reproduced. For instance, this very image was reproduced in the
catalogue of Swann’s February 25, 2010 auction of Printed and Manuscript
African Americana. In that particular sale, Swann auctioned Porter’s archive,
which consisted of artist files documenting his research into artists in
the African Diaspora, with a primary focus on African-American artists. The
archive included correspondence, photographs, and printed material. Self-Portrait was pictured above the
description of the archive in the catalogue. The archive is now in Emory
University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.
Labels: African-American Fine Art, Alaina McEachin, Art, Emory University, James Amos Porter, Modern Negro Art, Nigel Freeman, Self-Portraits, Shadows Uplifted