Written By: Chiara Atoyebi
Gwendolyn, Brooks. “Self Portrait” 2004. Photo Courtesy of Obelisk Art History.
Gwendolyn Knight was an American painter who painted her entire life, but did not come into her own as an artist until the late 1970s and didn’t have her first retrospective until the age of 90. Yet, her work and legacy was just as colorful and rich as her life reminding us that it’s never a dream deferred but more about the journey we navigate.
Knight was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies, in 1913. At the age of seven, she moved from Barbados with some of her mother’s friends to St. Louis, Missouri, and stayed there until the age of 13. The family moved to Harlem during her teen years where she was actively involved with the arts during High School and upon graduation decided to study fine arts at Howard University. However, due to financial hardship caused by the Great Depression, she dropped out of Howard after two years.
The artist, eager to keep art in her life in some capacity, began participating in Augusta Savage’s sculptor workshops and became somewhat of a protegee of Savage’s, who took her around the Harlem Renaissance scene of artists. She also taught Knight how to network and make a living as an artist. Knight did find gainful employment working with the Works Project Administration and assisting painter Charles Alston with the Harlem Children’s Hospital mural project. It was also during that time that she met her husband Jacob Lawrence. The pair worked closely together and she was noted as working on his panels for the Migration Series.
Jacob Lawrence. “THE MIGRATION SERIES, PANEL NO. 3: FROM EVERY SOUTHERN TOWN MIGRANTS LEFT BY THE HUNDREDS TO TRAVEL NORTH.” 1940
The two remained married for 59 years creating together in both paint and partnership while advancing Black culture and education while drawing on influences of everyday African-American life, and intimate portraits of family and friends. Drawing inspiration from travels to Nigeria, Harlem, and the American South. In addition to painting Knight, was a sculptor, dancer, and big supporter of her husband’s work.
Gwendolyn C. Knight, “The White Dress” 1999. Photo Courtesy of The Studio Museum in Harlem
Knight was a successful artist who received several awards for her contributions to the art community. Among these awards were the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art, the Cornish Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Centennial Award of Merit from Arizona State University. After her husband passed away in 2000, Knight Lawrence dedicated herself to philanthropy through the foundation established in both their names. The foundation awards numerous art and humanitarian awards each year.
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