Richmond Barthè

#FallenThroughTheCracks – Richmond Barthé was born in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi on January 28, 1901. He was an African-American sculptor associated with the Harlem Renaissance and for his portrayal of black subjects. The focus of his artistic work was portraying the diversity and spirituality of man. Barthé had his debut as a professional sculptor at The Negro in Art Week exhibition in 1927 while still a student of painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. He also exhibited in the annual exhibition of the Chicago Art League in April of 1928. The critical acclaim allowed Barthé to enjoy numerous important commissions such as the busts of Henry Ossawa Tanner and Toussaint L’Ouverture in 1928. 

His first solo exhibition was held at the Women’s City Club in Chicago in 1930, exhibiting a selection of 38 works featuring sculpture, painting, and works on paper. While many young artists found it very difficult to earn a living from their art during The Great Depression, the 1930s were Richmond Barthé’s most prolific years. The shift from the Art Institute of Chicago to New York City exposed Barthé to new experiences as he arrived in the city during the peak of the Harlem Renaissance.

During his sixty-year career, Barthé received numerous prestigious awards for his art, including Rosenwald and Guggenheim fellowships. Barthé, together with the painter Jacob Lawrence, was also the first African American artist to be represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection. And In 1945, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Barthe passed away on March 5, 1989. He was considered by writers and critics as one of the leading “moderns” of his time.

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