Historical Themes, Tales and Legends - The Art of Jerry Pinkney

Sept. 22, 2002 - Jan. 4, 2003

This prolific exhibition by Jerry Pinkney brings to Boston audiences an exceptional opportunity to view more than 100 works by one of America's most distinguished narrative artists. The exhibition, recently on national tour, presents a chronological, pictorial narrative of African-American history and folklore through Pinkney's paintings, sketches and illustrated books.

As an illustrator, Pinkney is a figurative representational artist committed to historical accuracy. Although many of his watercolors and drawings depict supernatural events, the mode of representation is realistic and dynamics are plausible. To achieve this, Pinkney researches his topics extensively and employs utmost attention to details.

Pinkney has been illustrating children's books since 1964, including "John Henry" (1995) by Julius Lester, "Talking Eggs" (1990) by Robert D San Souci, and "Mirandy and Brother Wind" (1980) by Patricia C McKissack.

Other notable milestones in his career: In 1977 Pinkney was commissioned by the US Postal Authority to create 9 stamps for the "Black Heritage Series", featuring images of Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr and others; in 1984, Pinkney produced several watercolor paintings for National Geographic's special issue on the underground Railroad.