Portraits and Busts in the Atlanta University Annuals
Title
Portraits and Busts in the Atlanta University Annuals
Date Modified
2025-09-17
Description
The Atlanta University Annuals, originally known as the Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Negro Artists in America, was an annual juried art competition designed for Black diasporic artists, held at Atlanta University from 1942 to 1970. The winning pieces from the Annuals competition were accessioned into the art collection of Atlanta University and comprise the foundation of the CAU Art Museum's permanent collection. There has been a rise in the popularity of portraiture among contemporary artists as they strive to depict the diversity of humanity and the human experience. Artists like Amy Sherald, Kehinde Wiley and Kerry James Marshall are working within a tradition that disrupt narratives that rob Black people of their personhood. Likewise, within the sculptural form, busts of Black people reshape public narratives, disrupt inherent biases, and center the humanity of the Black subject. Portraits and Busts from the Atlanta University Annuals presents a collection of Black artists painting and shaping Black subjects in the mid-20th century.
Curated By
Shyheim Williams
Contributing Institution
Clark Atlanta University
About This Record
The HCAC public history focused digital archive cataloging is an ongoing process, and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. We welcome your comments and feedback if you have more information to share about an item featured on the site, please contact us at: HCAC-DigiTeam@si.edu
Robert A. Daniel was an artist from Tallahassee, FL. Self Portrait depicts the artist in a door frame, looking toward the viewer. Daniel overlays a muted blue watercolor and a gold sketched frame, further centering him as the subject.
Thomas Edward Goodwin was an artist from Chicago, Ill. Self Portrait is a painting of the artist staring toward the viewer. Goodwin wears a yellow sweater in a room with neutral colors and a dark blue curtain. His saturated skin, round eyes, and short black hair help to depict the artist.
Joseph D. Atkinson, Jr., was an artist from Atlanta, GA. Solitude depicts a white woman posing in front of a mirror, illuminating her with a lamp. The woman stands slightly profiled while facing the viewer; her right hand is raised, and the left is in a fruit bowl.
Mark Hewitt was an artist from Boston, MA. Spirit of 366th depicts a portrait of a young Black man from the 366th infantry in an Army uniform. The soldier looks into the distance of a shining light while dark-hued clouds of brown, black, and purple gather overhead.
Henri Linton was an artist and art professor from Tuscaloosa, AL. Stanley is a print of a solemn Black man. The subject rests his head in his hand as he looks past the viewer.
Jewell Woodard Simon was an internationally acclaimed artist, teacher, and poet from Houston, TX. Teen Enigma is a plaster bust of a young girl looking into the distance with her head raised. She is wearing a collared shirt with the top button clasped.
Richmond Barthe was a sculptor from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The Angry Christ is an intensely expressive bust of Christ. The bust is incredibly detailed, emphasizing Jesus of Nazareth's Semitic features.
William Artis was a sculptor from Washington, NC. The Pugilist is a limestone sculpture of a Black boxer. Artis chiseled immense detail into the sculpture, capturing the intensity of his expression and hair texture.
Harold Lloyd Neal was an artist from Detroit, MI. The Red Robe is a portrait of a woman with a red robe hanging off her shoulders. The subject's breasts are visible as she poses, legs crossed, looking away from the viewer.
Charles White was a Black draftsman, printmaker, and painter who illustrated the Southern Black struggle. To the Future shows a Black woman standing cross-armed in front of hills and barren trees; she is scaled more significantly than the landscape. It speaks to African Americans being bigger than their past and a tradition of looking forward.
William Artis was a sculptor from Washington, NC. We Have Seen His Face is a ceramic bust of a hooded woman with her head raised. The subject holds a reverent expression as she looks toward God.
James Watkins was an artist from Akron, OH. Widow Woman is a portrait of an elderly Black woman wearing a long white dress, a light blue shawl, a pink headwrap, and small golden earrings. She looks straight ahead in solitude, her hands folded over one another.
William Artis was a sculptor from Washington, NC. Woman with Kerchief is a terracotta sculpture of a Black woman with her head covered by a tied kerchief.
Shelia Pree Bright is a cultural anthropologist and photographer from Waycross, GA. Young Americans Series: Tarrynn Deavens, age 18, African American depicts a young Black woman posing with the American flag binding her arms and mouth. This series is an examination of Generation Y's response to America.
Elizabeth Catlett was an artist and educator from Washington, D.C., who repatriated to Mexico. Young Girl is a Terra-Cotta bust of a Black female. It shows Catlett's sculptural skill with sharp details from the subject's hair texture to her expression.
William Artis was a sculptor from Washington, NC. Young Mother is a ceramic sculpture of a hooded woman looking off into the distance away from the viewer.
Born in Chicago, Charles White was a painter, printmaker, muralist, and educator known for his stylistic approach to Black subjects. Youth is a lithograph portrait of a young man looking into a far-off distance. Cross-hatching contrasts shadow and light across the young man’s face.
