CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new art exhibit in Uptown Charlotte features the work of a very famous artist, Pablo Picasso, and sheds light on another name you’ve probably heard: Romare Bearden.
In addition to the Uptown Charlotte park named after him, the Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds exhibition also pays tribute to the Charlotte-born artist.
Bearden was a creative and influential artist who was born near what is now Uptown. Though he traveled the country and made a name for himself, he still means a lot to the Mint Museum and to the city of Charlotte.
The museum felt it would be great to highlight his work and show how Bearden was greatly influenced by Picasso.
“We knew we had a Picasso show coming, we know we were going to be the only East Coast venue," Johnathan Stuhlman, senior curator of American Art at the Mint Museum, said. "We thought... all these people will be coming in -- how can we really spotlight Bearden even more? So we decided to organize this exhibition which explores their relationship."
Bearden, who was African-American, was a student of Picasso and other modern artists in the 1940s. Picasso’s impact on Bearden was profound and can be seen in the artwork.
'Bearden/Picasso: Rhythms and Reverberations' at the Mint Museum
"You'll see a number of Beardens you haven't seen, we brought in Beardens from private and public collections across the country, along with a couple more Picassos so people can really see that relationship in person," Stuhlman said
The exhibition gives Charlotteans a chance to learn more about their own culture and history.
“If you didn’t know Romare Bearden was from Charlotte, he really is one of the most significant American artists of the second half of the 20th century," Stuhlman said. "He kind of reintroduced, reinvigorated the medium of collage, a lot of his work... looks back on his ties to the South."
This is the first show to explore the relationship between these two artists. It’s called “Bearden/Picasso: Rhythms and Reverberations” and it’s just one part of the bigger Picasso exhibition, which has proven very popular.
The exhibit runs through May 21. Stuhlman said the exhibit has been particularly popular on the weekends, and those interested can purchase tickets ahead of time online.
Contact Larry Sprinkle at lsprinkle@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.