New Acquisition

Romare Bearden, National Gallery of Art

The prolific artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988), is often referred to as “one of the most important visual artists of the 20th-century,” having completed more than 2,000 artworks in his era. Known for incorporating a modern style influenced by the Western masters and creating in a variety of different medias, Bearden is well represented at many institutions around the country. His powerful oil painting The Manger was recently acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Bearden was widely known for his fascination with African art “(particularly sculpture, masks, and textiles), along with Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints and Chinese paintings,” reads the National Gallery press release. However, The Manger, 1945, includes Christian subject matter that Bearden relied on heavily in a particular series of work.

Romare Bearden (1911-1988), The Manger, 1945. Oil on gessoed board, 10 x 13½ in. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Gift of Funds from Agnes Gund and Gift of P. Bruce Marine and Donald Hardy Collection 2022.128.1.

“After serving in the army during World War II, Bearden created The Manger in a series of cubist-inspired watercolors and paintings called The Passion of Christ,” say museum representatives. “This series was included in Bearden’s first exhibition at a New York gallery, a solo show at the Samuel M. Kootz Gallery that launched the artist’s career.”

Reps explain that “Christian iconography appears throughout Bearden’s body of work and is evident in The Manger, with a blend of cubism and expressionism characteristic of the artist’s works from the 1940s. The Manger portrays a traditional nativity scene in which the Virgin Mary looks down at the baby Jesus alongside an ox. The painting reflects Bearden’s strategic use of religious subject matter in his attempt to create universal imagery and demonstrates his exploration of modernist modes of painting.”

This special, rare painting bolsters the National Gallery of Art’s superb collection, adding to their mission to serve with excellence, and as a “center of visual art, education and culture…Welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity and our shared humanity.”

This acquisition of The Manger was made possible by a gift of funds from Agnes Gund and through the generosity of P. Bruce Marine and Donald Hardy.