Marking a Milestone in Art Historical Scholarship:
Bearden, 1964–1969 is the First Digital Catalogue Raisonné for a
Major 20th Century African American Artist
The Wildenstein Plattner Institute (WPI) is proud to announce the inaugural release of the Romare Bearden Catalogue Raisonné Project, focusing on the artist’s unique works created between 1964 and 1969. This significant launch represents a major step forward in the scholarly documentation of one of the 20th century’s most influential African American artists, and exemplifies a new methodology for safeguarding an artist’s legacy. In keeping with WPI’s commitment to fostering accessibility to archival materials that support critical research in the field of art history, the Bearden catalogue raisonné is entirely free and accessible to the public online.
The premier installment of the digital catalogue presents a curated selection of Bearden’s production from this five-year period, and represents only a fraction of the nearly 3,000 artworks created over the course of his expansive and multifaceted career. Bearden rose to prominence in New York’s post-war art scene, establishing himself as one of the most important Black artists of his generation. During the Civil Rights era, Bearden’s artistic contributions were both celebrated and marginalized—his work was exhibited in major institutions and sold by prominent galleries, yet broader institutional support remained limited. This inequity has contributed to the relative lack of comprehensive scholarship around his oeuvre, a gap the WPI is working to rectify.
“Bearden’s vast and complex production, along with his personal circumstances working as a Black artist in the mid-20th century, present specific challenges for the compilation of a catalogue raisonné,” says Elizabeth Gorayeb, Executive Director of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute. Working in partnership with the Romare Bearden Foundation, the WPI has assembled a team of scholars, researchers, and archivists to document the artist’s body of work through rigorous research into Bearden’s process, networks, and exhibition and market history. A significant part of this effort was the digitization and processing of the artist’s papers and related AV materials, which are now accessible on the WPI website.
The WPI’s research team, led by Dr. Camara Holloway, has already made great strides in identifying elements of the artist’s production. Discoveries include 700 works previously unknown within the Bearden Foundation’s records, 50 of which are captured in the 1964-1969 compendium, including a lost portrait of the sculptor Edmonia Lewis, Bearden’s only depiction of another African American artist.
The Bearden catalogue raisonné is accessible to the public online for free, and the WPI, which is privately funded by the Hasso Plattner Foundation (HPF) in Germany, is uniquely positioned to support this digital endeavor. The organization’s namesake, Hasso Plattner, is known for championing technical innovation, as well as philanthropy in arts and culture. The Bearden catalogue raisonné project aligns with the foundation’s forward-thinking ethos. “We developed an iterative model for research and publishing catalogues raisonnés with our tech partners at Navigating.Art [another HPF-funding tech non-profit]. This new technology is expressly geared towards showcasing the progress and interconnectivity of art historical research, and promoting exchange among the various stakeholders in the field,” Ms. Gorayeb explained.
While Bearden, 1964-1969 offers the public a tool to examine the artist’s broad reach, the magnitude of his cultural impact will increasingly come to light as work on the catalogue raisonné continues. Ms. Gorayeb stresses that a collaborative approach is essential to this process. “Only through the cooperation of owners, collectors, dealers, curators, and scholars can we hope to establish a comprehensive listing and cataloguing data for the artist’s entire production. This publication is the first step towards that goal.”
Explore the digital catalogue.
In the Press
Artnet: “Romare Bearden’s Catalogue Raisonné Makes Digital Debut” by Andrew Russeth