Artist: JACOB LAWRENCE (American, 1917 - 2000)
Title: "Art for Bal Fantastique" - 1955 - Modern Appliances
Medium: Original Lithograph on colored laid paper
Signature: Signed in the plate
Edition: Limited Edition of 2000, not individually numbered
Size: About 12 x 9 inches
Printer: Artist Equity Funds, Inc.
Publisher: Artist Equity Association
Notes: Part of the Improvisations Portfolio (for the Spring Fantasia Masquerade Ball in New York) published by the Artist Equity Association. The portfolio consisted of advertisements for local New York City businesses where each advertisement was an original lithograph: "Each page was designed by the artist directly on the litho plate, thus making this a collection of original lithographs."
This Original Lithograph was produced for an annual art event in the 1950's for local businesses and major corporations largely based in New York. Historically important for corporate archivists, these are extremely rare to locate and are virtually unseen individually. The original lithographs were produced in only one edition, and included just 2,000. These lithographs are perhaps the most unique, rare, important advertising collectibles that exist for businesses and corporations.
About the Artist: Jacob Armstead Lawrence is the most widely acclaimed African American artist of the 20th century. Painter. Printmaker. Social realist. Lawrence documented the African American experience and was one of the first nationally recognized African American artists in the USA. He is one of only several artists whose works are included in standard survey books on American art. Lawrence's works portray the lives and struggles of African Americans in the 20th century, and have found wide audiences due to their abstract, colorful style and universality of subject matter. His works are represented in the collections of major art museums in the United States and of Europe.