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Home>National Gallery of Art Communications Office>Acquisitions Announcements>Acquisitions: 2023>Acquisition: Romare Bearden

February 15, 2023

# Acquisition: Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden*The Manger*, 1945oil on gessoed boardoverall: 25.4 × 34.29 cm (10 × 13 1/2 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

**Acquisitions Press Release**

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**Press Contact**Laurie Tylecphone: (202) 842-6355e-mail: [email protected]

Romare Bearden (1911–1988) is recognized as one of the most important visual artists of the 20th century. His oeuvre consists of more than 2,000 known works in many media that reveals the diverse influences of Western masters, ranging from Duccio, Giotto, and Pieter de Hooch to Cézanne, Picasso, and Matisse. Bearden also was fascinated with African art (particularly sculpture, masks, and textiles), Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints, and Chinese paintings.The National Gallery’s acquisition of *The Manger* (1945) is made possible by a gift of funds from Agnes Gund and through the generosity of P. Bruce Marine and Donald Hardy.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. 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*. 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.

# Contact Information

**General Information**For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:Department of CommunicationsNational Gallery of Art2000 South Club DriveLandover, MD 20785phone: (202) 842-6353e-mail: [email protected]

**Chief of Communications**Anabeth Guthriephone: (202) 842-6804e-mail: [email protected]

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