Bearden The Block Softcover Journal

Gifts for art lovers inspired by The Met collection.

This softcover journal featuring a detail from Romare Bearden's (American, 1911–1988) exuberant tribute to Harlem is sure to inspire the artist in your life. Though he was born in North Carolina, Bearden spent formative time in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem as a child, and in 1940, he established a studio in the same West 125th Street building as the artist Jacob Lawrence. Each of the six panels that make up The Block (1971) represent an aspect of local life, from the barbershop to the corner store.

We present this item in celebration of The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism, a groundbreaking exhibition exploring the comprehensive and far-reaching ways in which Black artists have portrayed everyday modern life. In the first half of the 20th century, millions of African Americans moved away from the segregated rural South in what became known as the Great Migration, and brought about the so-called Harlem Renaissance by revitalizing New York City's Harlem neighborhood with exceptional art, music, dance, theater, and more. Visit the exhibition at The Met Fifth Avenue from February 25 through July 28, 2024.

Click here to learn more about our items celebrating the Harlem Renaissance and beyond.

Art © Romare Bearden Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY