---
title: Framing an Arts Landmark
date: 2026-09-04T11:00:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/framing-an-arts-landmark"
section: Articles
---
# Framing an Arts Landmark

*September 4, 2026* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/authors/sala-levin-10)


> Driskell Center celebrates 25th anniversary with wide-ranging exhibition.


**TO MARK THE NATION’S BICENTENNIAL,** the Los Angeles County Museum of Art hired a rising artist and scholar to mount the landmark exhibition [“Two Centuries of Black American Art,”](https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/two-centuries-black-american-art) the first comprehensive look at the subject.


*black and white portrait of David C. Driskell — David C. Driskell (Photo by John T. Consoli)*


### 1940



*Painting of black people in white shirts in front of a house — (Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum)*



*William H. Johnson,* "**EARLY MORNING WORK**," *ca. 1940, oil on burlap*

Johnson, one of the early 20th century’s most important Black modernist artists, “used an innovative style he developed through years of working in Harlem and in Europe to tell the stories of African Americans,” says Childs. Driskell chose nine works by Johnson for “Two Centuries,” which showcased 205 objects.



### 1959



*Abstract painting of pine trees — (Courtesy of Driskell Center)*



*David Driskell,* **“PINE TREES, NO. 5,”** *1959, oil on canvas*

Pine trees, which surrounded Driskell’s home in Falmouth, Maine, were a frequent subject for the artist. “He likened them to cathedrals, evoking their transcendence,” says Childs. The painting is part of the center’s substantial collection of its namesake’s drawings, prints and paintings.



### 1995



*Art piece with red rectangles, close-ups of objects — (Courtesy of the Driskell Center)*



*Sam Gilliam,* **“SCARCELY BLUE,”** *1995, acrylic paint on wood*

The late Gilliam, who was based in Washington, represented “a generation of Black artists who broke with representational styles in the mid-20th century to choose the freedom of form and color,” says Childs. Works by other Black abstract artists including Alma Thomas, William T. Williams, Mary Lovelace O’Neal and E.J. Montgomery, make up a significant portion of the Driskell Center’s collection.



### 1999



*Painting of a color tree, bird in a vibrant landscape — (© 2026 estate of Benny Andrews / Artists Rights Society, N.Y., Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, N.Y.)*



*Benny Andrews,* **“MORNING SONG STUDY #1: MUSICAL INTERLUDE SERIES,”** *1999, collage and mixed media*

This image in the new exhibition by the late New York City-based artist shows a singing figure, incorporating the long tradition of Black musicianship, and is an homage to the natural world, says Childs. “It reflects the joy and promise of the title ‘Jubilee’ and looks forward with optimism.”



### 2024



*Colorful painted portrait of two young Black men leaning on a metal fence — (Courtesy of Galerie Myrtis)*



*Megan Lewis,* **“I FEEL LESS PRESSURE BUT I HAVE MY MOMENTS,”** *2024, oil on photograph on canvas*

The contemporary Baltimore artist creates colorful, highly textured portraits of young people that “capture an expressive kind of beauty, composure and elegance,” says Childs. Lewis’ work in portraiture, like this new Driskell Center acquisition in the “Jubilee” exhibition, nods to the important role human subjects have played in Black art past and present.



# The Driskell Center's permanent collection comprises:


- **2,000** — artworks (approximately), including **200+** by Driskell

- **6,000** — volumes on African and African diaspora art

- **17** — archival collections, including the David C. Driskell Papers



*American flag icon*




**Issue:** [Fall 2026](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/fall-2026)


**Types:** [Campus Life](https://terp.umd.edu/category/campus-life)


**Tags:** [America 250](https://terp.umd.edu/tags/america-250)