Henry Bannarn
Encyclopedia
Henry Wilmer "Mike" Bannarn (July 17, 1910 – September 20, 1965) was an African-American artist, best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance
period.
on July 17, 1910. When he was still a child, the family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
where he discovered his talent for art.
He worked as a Works Progress Administration
artist for the Federal Art Project
and taught art at the Harlem Community Art Center in New York City
, where he was a noted contemporary, friend and partner of another famous African-American artist, Charles Alston
, with whom he ran the Alston-Bannarn Harlem Art Workshop in Harlem/NYC, NY. He was intimately associated with the "Harlem Renaissance
" of the 1930s, being considered as one of the movements preeminent contributors. http://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/docs/annual2005-6.pdf Although he is primarily known for his work in sculpture, he was equally skilled as a figurist and character artist in the various paint mediums, conte crayon, pastel, free form sketch, etc.
In 1941, he returned to Minnesota and entered a piece of sculpture in the Minnesota State Fair
sculpture competition, where he was awarded the first prize. The much-honored artist had won a painting prize at the fair a decade earlier as well, representing one of the earliest achievements by an African-American artist in that states history.
He died on September 20, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York.
, Duke University
Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution
, Dartmouth College
's Hood Museum of Art
, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
, Minnesota Historical Society
, Howard University
Gallery of Art, and Clark Atlanta University
Art Galleries. Very few Bannarn works exist in private hands.
At the April 26, 2007 sale conducted by Shannon's Fine Art Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut
, a Bannarn original oil titled "Modernist Exhibition" sold for $24,000 USD, achieving a price nearly ten times its pre-auction estimate of $2500–$3500. At a May 18, 2008 auction conducted by the Rose Hill Auction Gallery, Englewood, New Jersey
, an oil on board painting by Bannarn entitled "Seagulls" sold for $5,750, more than ten times its pre-auction estimate of $200–$300. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5281227
Henry Wilmer "Mike" Bannarn (July 17, 1910 – September 20, 1965) was an African-American artist, best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
period.
Biography
He was born in Wetumpka, Hughes County, OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on July 17, 1910. When he was still a child, the family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
where he discovered his talent for art.
He worked as a Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
artist for the Federal Art Project
Federal Art Project
The Federal Art Project was the visual arts arm of the Great Depression-era New Deal Works Progress Administration Federal One program in the United States. It operated from August 29, 1935, until June 30, 1943. Reputed to have created more than 200,000 separate works, FAP artists created...
and taught art at the Harlem Community Art Center in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he was a noted contemporary, friend and partner of another famous African-American artist, Charles Alston
Charles Alston
Charles Henry Alston was an African-American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Alston was the first African American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration's...
, with whom he ran the Alston-Bannarn Harlem Art Workshop in Harlem/NYC, NY. He was intimately associated with the "Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
" of the 1930s, being considered as one of the movements preeminent contributors. http://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/docs/annual2005-6.pdf Although he is primarily known for his work in sculpture, he was equally skilled as a figurist and character artist in the various paint mediums, conte crayon, pastel, free form sketch, etc.
In 1941, he returned to Minnesota and entered a piece of sculpture in the Minnesota State Fair
Minnesota State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It is the 2nd largest fair in the United States, and the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance, though the State Fair of Texas runs...
sculpture competition, where he was awarded the first prize. The much-honored artist had won a painting prize at the fair a decade earlier as well, representing one of the earliest achievements by an African-American artist in that states history.
He died on September 20, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York.
Legacy
His works are represented in some of the most important collections in the US, such as the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
's Hood Museum of Art
Hood Museum of Art
The Hood Museum of Art is a museum in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Dating back to 1772, the museum is owned and operated by Dartmouth College and is connected to the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The current building, designed by Charles Willard Moore and Chad Flloyd, opened in the fall of 1985. It...
, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
, Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
, Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
Gallery of Art, and Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University...
Art Galleries. Very few Bannarn works exist in private hands.
At the April 26, 2007 sale conducted by Shannon's Fine Art Auctioneers, Milford, Connecticut
Milford, Connecticut
Milford is a coastal city in southwestern New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between Bridgeport and New Haven. The population was 52,759 at the 2010 census...
, a Bannarn original oil titled "Modernist Exhibition" sold for $24,000 USD, achieving a price nearly ten times its pre-auction estimate of $2500–$3500. At a May 18, 2008 auction conducted by the Rose Hill Auction Gallery, Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
, an oil on board painting by Bannarn entitled "Seagulls" sold for $5,750, more than ten times its pre-auction estimate of $200–$300. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5281227
Exhibitions
Minnesota State Fair 1928 (Award), Minneapolis Institute of Art 1932 (prize), Harmon Foundation 1933, PAFA 1934/36, American Negro Exhibition 1940, Minnesota Artists Association Annual 1940 (Award), Minnesota State Fair 1941 (Award), Atlanta University 1943 (Award), Hanley Gallery St. Paul, Minnesota 1945, Newton Gallery, 1945See also
- Charles AlstonCharles AlstonCharles Henry Alston was an African-American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Alston was the first African American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration's...
- Partner, Alston-Bannarn Workshop, Harlem Community Art Center - Bror Julius Olsson NordfeldtBror Julius Olsson NordfeldtBror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt was a Swedish-American artist who painted seascapes and depictions of New Mexico's indigenous culture.-Background:...
- Instructor - George Oberteuffer- Teacher
- Samuel Chatwood Burton- Teacher
- Jacob LawrenceJacob LawrenceJacob Lawrence was an American painter; he was married to fellow artist Gwendolyn Knight. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem.Lawrence is among the best-known twentieth...
- Student of Bannarn at the Harlem Art Workshop.