Raymond Saunders (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raymond Saunders
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Saunders in 1995
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| Born | 1934 (age 90–91) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Known for | Painting |
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Raymond Saunders (born in 1934) is an American artist. He is famous for his unique paintings that mix different art forms. His works often include pieces of other materials, drawings, and words he finds. Saunders also creates art installations and sculptures.
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Early Life and Art School
Raymond Saunders grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He went to public schools there. A kind art teacher named Joseph Fitzpatrick saw his talent. Mr. Fitzpatrick encouraged Raymond to follow his passion for art.
Saunders studied art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He earned his first art degree in 1960. He also received a scholarship to train at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Later, he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from California College of the Arts in 1961.
Artistic Career and Style
Today, Raymond Saunders lives and works mainly in Oakland, California. He used to be a professor of painting at the California College of the Arts. He also taught at California State University, East Bay.
Saunders uses many different materials in his art. He is best known for his paintings that mix painting with other things. Sometimes his art even looks like sculptures. His paintings are very expressive. He often adds small pieces of paper he finds in everyday life. He also uses chalked words, sometimes crossed out. These additions give his art a special texture and meaning. Even his abstract art tells a kind of story about society.
Black is a Color
In 1967, Raymond Saunders made a famous statement: "black is a color." He believed that art by Black artists should not be limited. He felt it should not be put into a special category called "black art." He wanted his own art to be seen simply as art, not defined by his race. He once said, "I am an artist. I do not believe that art work should be limited or categorized by one's racial background."
Saunders also wrote a short book called Black is a Color. In it, he argued against the idea that the word "black" should be used in a certain way in art. He wanted artists to be free to create without these limits.
Art Shows and Exhibitions
Raymond Saunders had his first solo art show in New York in 1962. He also showed a painting called "Night Poetry" at an art festival in Philadelphia that same year.
In the late 1960s, he had a show at the Terry Dintenfass Gallery. This was important because at that time, most New York art galleries showed only white male artists.
Saunders' art has been shown all over the world. He has had exhibitions in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan.
He was part of a show called "Thirty Contemporary Black Artists" in San Francisco in 1969. That same year, he joined 100 Black artists in a big exhibit in Philadelphia. This show included works by many famous artists like Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden.
His art was also featured in two shows at the Whitney Museum in New York. One was in 1971 and another in 1972.
A painting by Saunders of boxer Jack Johnson (from 1972) is now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This painting was even used as a book cover! He also had a solo show at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1974.
More recently, his work was in "Aesthetics of Graffiti" in 1978. This show was at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He also had a self-titled show at the Seattle Art Museum in 1981.
Art in Collections
Many important art museums own works by Raymond Saunders. These include the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Art. His art can also be found at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Walker Art Center.
Other places that have his art include:
- The Legion of Honor in San Francisco
- The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh
- The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
- The Oakland Museum of California
- The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- The Whitney Museum of American Art
Awards and Honors
Raymond Saunders has received many awards for his art.
- In 1964, he won a Rome Prize Fellowship for painting.
- He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1976. This award helps artists create new works. Many of his pieces after 1976 used recycled objects, giving them new life in his art.
- He also won two National Endowment for the Arts Awards, one in 1977 and another in 1984. This is a very important honor for artists in America.
- In 1988, he received the 9th annual Awards in the Visual Arts.
- He also won the Schwabcher Frey Award from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Art Curation Projects
In 1992, Raymond Saunders organized an art show called "Paris Connections." This show was held at the Bomani Gallery in San Francisco.
