Malcolm X
Completed in the late 1990s, Graham’s Malcolm X Series draws on his history with the Black Panthers. Abstract by nature many of the paintings refer only to their subject at times by the use of the “X” drawn into the works. Other works show figures mixed with the “X” in silhouette. The references to figures imply narratives associated with themes concerning African American identity and race issues across cities in America.
War
Graham completed several paintings inspired by the theme of war. Pulled from his greater collection of paintings loosely titled ‘Abstraction’ completed during the middle of Graham’s career and only included here when marked on the reverse by the artist with the series ‘War.’
Chicago
The works included in the series “Chicago” are directly representational and comment on urban themes about African American Identity.
Chicago: Memories and Fantasies
Completed in 1991, the Chicago: Memories and Fantasies series is comprised of painted landscapes inspired by the streets of Chicago, Graham’s home for over twenty years. Graham maintains a strict color palette throughout the series sometimes only referring to the city through roughly marked shapes.
Late Work
The images included in ‘Late Work’ were completed between 2007-18 before Graham’s death in 2018. Along with Graham’s highly layered application of paint to the paper as seen in earlier works many images show beautiful in between moments with drawing added over the painted layers reintroducing representational drawing techniques found in Graham’s earliest works.
Abstraction
Completed in the middle of Graham’s painting career, the works included in this grouping were completed from the beginning of the 1990s until 2006 and represent for Graham a complete departure of figurative elements in favor of built up surfaces using gestural marks made with oil pastels.
About the Artist
“Graham has always produced thematically linked groups of paintings.”
Robert Henry Graham was born in 1944 and raised in Chicago, Illinois. According to his mother, Ms. Mary Belle Graham, the nun in charge of his first grade class at Holy Angels Grammar School on Chicago’s South-side, would let him draw by himself in a corner of the classroom, in order that he wouldn’t disrupt the rest of the class with what she called his “antics”.
Robert credits Robin Leigh, one-time co-owner of “The BlackMan’s” Art Gallery in San Francisco, California, who – in the late 60’s – for the first-time awakened his interest in expressing himself through art in painting. In 1980 he received his B.A. in Studio Art at California State University, Hayward and his M.F.A. in Painting (1983) from University of Wisconsin, Madison. Robert Henry produced 45 paintings in his first year as a full-time artist, and he remains prolific to this day. Robert Henry’s work today is painted compositions of multiple layers (anywhere from 40 to 70 layers) of color with each layer a different hue on mostly heavyweight gesso paper. The paintings on paper can be multiple layered color-field paintings, cityscape silhouettes, symbols and forms, or figural/anatomical in content.
Robert Henry Graham’s work has been shown in 78 solo, two-person, and or 4-person exhibits; in addition his work has appeared in over 160 group exhibitions throughout the United States since 1968. He is listed in Thomas Albright’s Art in the San Francisco Bay Area 1945-1980: An Illustrated History (1985) as Robert Henry.
Teaching & Professional Career
Robert Henry Graham began teaching in 1983 and became a full Professor in Art at Virginia Tech University. Graham had served as Director of the Armory Art Gallery from 1983 to 1990. He was the Studio Program Chair in the School of Visual Arts at Virginia Tech from 2008-2010.