Nelson Stevens
1938-2022
Spirit Sister
2013
color serigraph on wove paper
18 x 18 inches (image)
23-1/4 x 22-1/4 inches (sheet)
signed, titled, dated and numbered 18/75

Nelson Stevens was a Brooklyn-native artist and retired educator in Owings Mills, Maryland. Stevens’ work is focused on the empowerment of Black communities through visual representation, often depicting iconic aspects of African American culture, style, and leaders. One of Stevens’ earliest childhood memories was of drawing in chalk on the sidewalk in front of his home. After completing his work, he’d go up to the roof to look down at it—these were his first murals.

In 1956, Stevens began painting murals on the walls of nightclubs after entering the jazz nightclub scene in Utica. Stevens became a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s, known for his potent, brightly-hued paintings and drawings of influential African American figures in bold colors arranged in blocky lines and patterns.

Later, he became one of the first members of the Chicago-based African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AfriCOBRA) after meeting co-founder Jeff Donaldson in 1969. Stevens’ artworks are cultural contributions to a spirit of personal resistance and self-determination, creating an ethos of insurgence and an embodiment of the “black aesthetic.” These art movements, and Stevens’ contributions to them, demonstrate the power of the arts in implementing greater social change. His artwork has been included in important survey exhibitions, including Soul Of A Nation: Art In The Age Of Black Power at the Tate, and is represented in collections of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Brooklyn Museum.

Printed and published by Raven Fine Print Editions, Easton, PA.

Generally very good condition; unframed