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Artworks

The Schomburg Library, 1986-1987

  • Artist

    Jacob Lawrence

  • Title

    The Schomburg Library

  • Date

    1986-1987

  • Medium

    Serigraph

  • Dimensions

    27 3/4 × 21 1/2 in. (70.5 × 54.6 cm) Frame: 34 3/4 × 28 1/2 in. (88.3 × 72.4 cm)

  • Credit line

    The Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Altria Group, Inc.

  • Object Number

    2008.13.4

During the years he lived in Harlem, Jacob Lawrence spent a great deal of time at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library, what is now the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. There, he took classes as part of the Harlem Art Workshop and conducted research for many of his narrative paintings of historical events and figures. This work on paper, made decades after Lawrence moved from the neighborhood, celebrates the library and its collection. The figures are each engrossed in their reading materials, suggesting the eagerness with which they seek to learn about their history.


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Artworks

The Schomburg Library, 1986-1987

  • Artist

    Jacob Lawrence

  • Title

    The Schomburg Library

  • Date

    1986-1987

  • Medium

    Serigraph

  • Dimensions

    27 3/4 × 21 1/2 in. (70.5 × 54.6 cm) Frame: 34 3/4 × 28 1/2 in. (88.3 × 72.4 cm)

  • Credit line

    The Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Altria Group, Inc.

  • Object Number

    2008.13.4

During the years he lived in Harlem, Jacob Lawrence spent a great deal of time at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library, what is now the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. There, he took classes as part of the Harlem Art Workshop and conducted research for many of his narrative paintings of historical events and figures. This work on paper, made decades after Lawrence moved from the neighborhood, celebrates the library and its collection. The figures are each engrossed in their reading materials, suggesting the eagerness with which they seek to learn about their history.


Explore further