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Heritage

1973
(American, b. 1929)
America
acrylic and metal foil on canvas
Overall: 120.7 x 76.2 cm (47 1/2 x 30 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2016.268
© Wadsworth Jarrell
Location: 229A Contemporary
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Did You Know?

Look closely to find the words “African Rhythm," "Our Heritage,” and “Black Funk" emerging from the musicians’ heads.

Description

In this painting, dense patterns in vivid colors comprise the figures of two jazz musicians. Phrases including “African Rhythm,” “Our Heritage,” and “Black Funk” emerge from the dynamic composition. The subjects and visual traits of this work are rooted in the priorities of the artist collective AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), of which Wadsworth Jarrell was a cofounder. Formed on the South Side of Chicago in 1968, AfriCOBRA was foundational to the Black Arts Movement—the aesthetic branch of the Black Power Movement that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s. After leaving Chicago, Jarrell settled in Cleveland, where he now lives and works.
Heritage

Heritage

1973

Wadsworth Jarrell

(American, b. 1929)
America

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