CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG LIBRARY - MAIN LIBRARY - ROMARE BEARDEN MURAL

The City of Charlotte proudly claims Bearden as its own although the Charlotte-born artist lived most of his life in New York City. At the time of his death in 1988, Bearden was recognized as one of the most important artists of the Twentieth century. He was particularly known for collage, an artist process named from the French “to paste up.” Bearden’s reputation in collage is so strong that his name is almost synonymous for term, collage. 

Typical of many artists, Bearden did not make a living as an artist until late in his career. Then, his success came almost “overnight.” The trajectory of the breakout of his career was roughly eight years from his official discovery to the famous MoMA show, the first for an African American artist. Although he received recognition, Bearden’s work was undervalued. In 1980, at the time of the first Mint show in Charlotte, his paintings sold for less than $3000, By the time of the second Mint show in 2011, the price for his art was $100,000 and higher. Today, Bearden’s art has appreciated even more. Luckily, there are works by Bearden, like at the Main Library, that are available for easy viewing by the public.

Diamond, P. L., & Pinder, K. N. (2020). The incredible joy of collecting African American art: My journey from Frog Town, South Carolina to the National Gallery. Charlotte, NC: AK Classics Publishing.

https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/mecklenburg-people/romare-bearden

https://www.cmlibrary.org/branch/main-library