RON ADAMS (American, 1934–2020), “Blackburn,” 2000 (lithograph). | Lawrence Lithography Workshop, Kansas City, Mo. Partial gift of Robert and Jean Steele; Partial purchase with funds from the John V. Levas Trust, 2023. (2023-06-01) ONE MASTER PRINTER paying homage to another, “Robert Blackburn” (2003) by Ron Adams pictures Blackburn pulling a figurative print from a lithographic stone. Envisioned by artist Jacob Lawrence, “Douglass” (1999) depicts the vaunted abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass seated, quill pen in hand, with several books on the table before him and on the shelf behind him.”Big Black” (2010) from Faith Ringgold‘s Black Light series features a bold face image inspired by African sculpture that experiments with tonal variations in a grid form. Limited-edition prints by celebrated African American artists, the works are part of a significant acquisition announced by the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA). The Hawaii museum added 55 works on paper from the collection of Robert and Jean Steele, through a gift/purchase agreement. The couple has been collecting for more than five decades with an emphasis on prints by African American artists produced with Black-run print shops. Twenty-six artists are represented, including Adams, Lawrence, and Ringgold, along with Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Romare […]
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