Black Manhattan

Romare Bearden’s collages and photomontages cemented his reputation as a leading 20th-century visual artist. Bearden began his artistic career in 1935 as a cartoonist for the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper while studying at the Art Students League. Influenced by the cubist art he saw in Europe following his army service in World War II, Bearden moved away from his earlier figural approach and developed an abstract and improvisational style, depicting scenes of urban African American life and the streets of Harlem. He also designed sets and costumes for New York’s Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.