Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)

Harlem Street Scene

Details

Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)
Harlem Street Scene
signed and dated 'J. Lawrence 42' (lower right)
gouache on paper
22¼ x 22¾ in. (56.5 x 57.8 cm.)

Provenance

The artist.
Dr. Kenneth B. Clark, New York, acquired from the above.
By descent to the present owner, 1992.

Literature

P.T. Nesbett, M. DuBois, Jacob Lawrence: Paintings, Drawings and Murals (1935-1999), A Catalogue Raisonné, Seattle, Washington, 2000, p. 69, no. P42-18, illustrated.
G.A. Jarrett, ed., A Long Way from Home, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2007, cover illustration.

Lot Essay

According to Peter Nesbett, co-author of the Jacob Lawrence catalogue raisonné, at the time this work was executed, Lawrence was living off Convent Avenue at the corner of West 144th Street and Hamilton Terrace in Harlem, New York. While the street corner depicted in Harlem Street Scene may be more imagined than a representation of a specific location, the perspective was likely influenced by the view from the nearby City College campus over St. Nicholas Park to the neighborhood below.

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