Still Life; Oil on canvas by Robert Scott Duncanson; Size: 20"x24"; Robert Scott Duncanson (c. 1822 - December 21, 1872) was born in Seneca County, New York in 1821. Duncanson's father was a Canadian of Scottish descent and his mother was an African American, thus making him "a freeborn person of color." Duncanson, an artist who is relatively unknown today, painted America, both physically and figuratively, at a time when the country was in turmoil. Beautiful and serene, Duncanson's work sheds light on American art that has been forgotten over the years. Although Hudson River style landscape painting is most associated with Robert Duncanson, his floral still lifes first brought him recognition. He is also thought to be the first black painter and muralist in America to earn his living by painting and to become internationally known.
Exhibitions:
1842 Annual Exhibition of Paintings and Statuary, Western Art Union, Cincinnati, OH;
1865 Art Association of Montreal, Canada Dublin Exhibition, Ireland;
1871 Western Art Gallery, Detroit, MI;
1943 Balmoral Castle, Scotland, Museum of Modern Art, NY;
1953 Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO;
1955 Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH;
1961 Indianapolis Museum of Art Indianapolis, IN;
1967 Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.;
1970 La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA;
1971 Bowdoin College, Museum of Contemporary Art, Brunswick, ME
1972 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, MA
1976 Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
1979 Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
1983,1992 National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
1996 Washington University, St. Louis, MO.