Building on Artistic Legacy

Fascinating rhythm, oh won’t you stop picking on me? The rollicking, roiling, wonderfully cacophonous variety of works in Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties sent me diving deep into my record collection – I just had to hear what was going on at the time these paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs were being made. And the opportunity to put together a playlist for the pure enjoyment of it all was just impossible to resist.

In 2005, Dr. David C. Driskell, American cultural icon, allowed the museum to purchase Go Down Death by Aaron Douglas from his personal collection. Driskell is one of the world's leading authorities on African-American art. Practicing art since the 1950s, Driskell has exhibited his work worldwide.

As we look toward the 2012 museum celebration on the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., we reflect on two works in our collection.