“Phoebe Beasley’s eye has never failed her, has never lied to her, and her art generously gives us beauty, information and always the truth.” – Dr. Maya Angelou
Harris Gallery presents Unsung Requiem: Lost Then Found, a survey of works by acclaimed mixed-media artist Phoebe Beasley.
Once told by a high school guidance counselor that she should not major in art because there was no such thing as an African-American artist, Beasley’s work has won numerous awards and garnered the admiration and support of a diverse audience. She is the only artist in history to have received the Presidential Seal for two separate art commissions: one for the inauguration of George H.W. Bush in 1989, the other for Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. Her collectors include Oprah Winfrey, the late Maya Angelou, Shonda Rhimes, LaTanya and Samuel L. Jackson, Tyler Perry, and Bill Russell, among many others.
A strong advocate for the arts, Beasley was honored by the California African American Museum with a Lifetime Achievement Award for visual arts and arts advocacy at their 2013 CAAM Gala.
Unsung Requiem: Lost Then Found brings together 40 works that include painting, collage, and 3D mixed-media works centered on historic and personal narratives. It includes a large-scale piece made during her recent artist in residence in the Department of Art and Art History where she worked with La Verne students in the studio classrooms. Generous support for this exhibition is provided by Brenda and Bill Galloway and the Pasadena Art Alliance.
