SMOA executive director Jessimi Jones said the return of the Duncanson work comes at a perfect time to reflect on Black History Month, where the art of numerous Black artists is on display.
“(Duncanson) was one of the most prominent Black painters in the mid-1800s, one of the foremost landscape painters in America,” she said. “We’re pleased to have one of his most significant works in our collection.”
“Landscape with Classical Ruins” depicts a landscape with a ruined temple and is from a series of murals inspired by a trip to Italy. Jones said the painting was on display at the SMOA for a long time and will probably go on view again in the future.
A landscape artist, Duncanson was the grandson of an emancipated slave from Virginia and spent much of his time in the Cincinnati area. During the Civil War, he lived between Canada and the United Kingdom.
Duncanson died in 1872 at the height of his success. Though considered one of the first major Black artists, Duncanson isn’t well known outside of Ohio according to Jones and was buried in an unmarked grave until 2018, but with his painting in the White House, he’s getting some due attention.
Duncanson’s 1859 painting “Landscape with Rainbow” was presented to Biden and Vice President Kamla Harris as a gift, on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. First Lady Jill Biden suggested the painting according to a Washington Post story because of the positive nature of a rainbow.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Black artists’ works on display at the SMOA include one of Aminah Robinson, a tribute to fellow artist Dr. Selma H. Burke, who created the image of Franklin D. Roosevelt on the dime; “Freedom: a Fable” a book by contemporary artist Kara Walker; two pieces by Cincinnati artist Davina Fisher; and a large scale-portrait by Lawrence Baker in the Chakeres Art Lab.
SMOA pieces on loan include a carving by Columbus folk artist Elijah Pierce to a Philadelphia gallery and a quilt piece by Rosie Lee Tompkins. And there are many Black artists whose work is held in the SMOA’s permanent collection, Jones said.
“I really hope the public will come appreciate the diversity of artists and works the Springfield Museum of Art has,” said Jones.
For more information on the SMOA and its programs and exhibitions and hours of operation, visit its website or social media pages.
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