132 / 250
87
●
WADSWORTH JARRELL (1929 - )
Untitled (African Rhythm, Our Heritage)
.
Acrylic and metal foil on cotton canvas, 1973. 1194x762 mm; 47
1
/
2
x30 inches. Signed and dated in
acrylic, lower right.
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist; private collection, Atlanta.
This excellent example of the vibrant canvases of Wadsworth Jarrell is the earliest of his significant
1970s paintings to come to auction. Wadsworth Jarrell was a leading figure of the Black Arts
movement and one of the founding members of the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists
(AfriCOBRA), the artist collective that he and fellow artists Barbara Jones-Hogu, Jeff Donaldson,
Jae Jarrell, Napoleon Henderson, Nelson Stevens and GeraldWilliams formed in Chicago in 1969.
He is best known for his 1971 iconic painting
Revolutionary
that was exhibited at the Studio Museum
in Harlem in the AfriCOBRA II exhibition from 1971-72 and is now in the collection of the
Brooklyn Museum. By the fall of 1973, the collective had their last group exhibition, and each artist
pursued their own interests. In the following year,Wadsworth Jarrell began his MFA degree while
teaching at Howard University. Douglas pp. 42 - 43.
[25,000/35,000]