Over the Line: the Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence - Arts Update - Brief Article

Arts & Activities, June, 2002

This summer, the High Museum of Art will host a major touring retrospective featuring the art of Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000). Bringing together more than 200 works that span his long career, the exhibition is the most comprehensive look ever at Lawrence's artistic development and creative process, and includes many works that have never before been exhibited.

Despite the critical acclaim and popularity of Jacob Lawrence's work, the evolution of his career has yet to be fully examined or understood. This is the first exhibition to represent to a nationwide audience the dynamic evolution of his style, technique and methods. For more than 60 years, Lawrence used stark images and bold colors to address many of the social and philosophical concerns of the 20th century, such as migration, manual labor, war, family values and education, especially as they pertain to the lives and histories of African Americans.

Organized by The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., Over the Line: The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence premiered there May 2001, and will be on view at Atlanta's High Museum of Art from June 15 through Sept. 8, 2002. The High will be the exhibition's fourth stop on tour that also includes the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Detroit Institute of Fine Arts. The tour will close at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, after leaving the High Museum of Art. Visit www.high.org or call (404) 733-HIGH for more information.