Romare Bearden: Idea to Realization

One of the undisputed masters of American collage, Romare Bearden (1911-1988) once described collage-making as improvisation, likening it to the creative spontaneity of jazz and blues. Highlighting this approach, Idea to Realization features a rare group of works that blend paint, photographic images and abstracted cut-paper elements. Created as maquettes for murals, mosaics, book jackets and other projects, most of these works have never before been reproduced. The publication includes the striking maquette for “Pittsburgh Recollections,” a bold modernist panorama tracing the city's development that was realized in 1984 as the famed 60-foot-long mosaic of ceramic tiles in downtown Pittsburgh. Bearden frequently collaborated with fellow artists, writers, musicians and choreographers, creating artworks for books and designing book covers, posters, costumes and stage sets, and Idea to Realization also draws attention to the important role of collaboration in Bearden's practice.