Cleo

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Samella Lewis

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• 1996

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• Offset Lithograph

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• Image/sheet: 30 x 21.5″

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• 100 prints in this edition

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About the Print

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From the ArtistnnArt for me is an instrument of communication—with myself and with others. It forces me to continually examine my own thoughts and actions, as well as those of others. The experiences in life can be viewed in a flexible and inclusive manner without limitations. Art is not some theory that you learn but a way of life that you choose to develop. Once nurtured it thrives on your memory bank and your need to reach out and seek to understand the tangible and the intangible. Thus, for me, art and life are inseparable.n_{—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records}

nCleo, by Samella S. Lewis, is a portrait painting art historical reference produced in 1996. Lewis employs a symmetrically composed frontal view of a young girl holding a flower to present portraiture as an icon; her face framed by a large cross. Lewis is a pioneer in African American art history research and publication. She has influenced several generations of artists as a creator, curator, collector, and art historian.n_{— Adapted from  “Fresh, Human and Personal: Signature of Brandywine Workshop,” Three Decades of American Printmaking: The Brandywine Workshop Collection (Manchester, VT: Hudson Hills Press, 2004)}nnn

Samella Lewis

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AmericannBorn February 27, 1924 in New Orleans, LA

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About the Artist

nPainter, scholar, filmmaker, educator, critic, and printmaker Samella Lewis (née Sanders) was born in New Orleans, LA. She received a BA and an MA from Hampton University, VA, and an MA and PhD in art history and cultural anthropology from Ohio State University, Columbus. Lewis was the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in fine art and art history. In 1953, she became the first chair of the Fine Arts Department at Florida A&M University, Tallahassee.nnIn order to publish Black Artists on Art in 1969, Lewis founded Contemporary Crafts, the first African American-owned art publishing house. In 1970 she co-founded with Bernie Casey the Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Los Angeles. Lewis founded the International Review of African American Art in 1975 and the Museum of African American Art, Los Angeles, in 1976.nnLewis’ figurative art reflects the African American experience and complements her efforts as a historian, educator, and mentor to generations of academics and studio artists. She self-published a monograph of the sculptor and printmaker Elizabeth Catlett and wrote or edited numerous essays and books highlighting the achievements of those she admired. She is considered by many to be the dean of African American artists-art historians.nnShe retired as professor emeritus from Scripps College, Los Angeles. The school honored her by establishing The Samella S. Lewis Collection of African American Art and scholarships that carry her name. She has been a longtime consultant to several major institutions including the Getty Institute (now Getty Center) and Hampton University. Lewis serves as an advisory member of the Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Education and the Arts (IIDEEA), which has developed Artura.org.n_{—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives record}