The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 18, 2026

A vertically oriented lithograph in grainy black ink on light paper depicts several figures with pale skin tones blending into a dark interior. Centered, one figure reaches upward with both arms. To the left, a person raises their hands while another leans over a bed. To the right, two people sit beside a slatted structure. Below, a figure kneels toward a large, bright area on the floor. A signature, date, and edition number appear below.

Porgy

1929

Richard Beatty

(American, 1899–1961)
America, Ohio, Cleveland
lithograph
Image: 25 x 18.5 cm (9 13/16 x 7 5/16 in.); Sheet: 48.2 x 31.5 cm (19 x 12 3/8 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1929.430
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

After opening on Broadway to popular acclaim in 1927, Porgy toured the United States and Europe for the next two years.

Description

For his skill in lithographs such as this, Richard Beatty was hired as an instructor when Karamu formed a graphic arts program around 1933. While teaching himself lithography at night, Beatty portrayed theater and cabaret scenes using dense, expressive lines from a waxy crayon. He described Porgy (1927) as his favorite print and was inspired after seeing a play by the same name at the Ohio Theatre. Elongated and slumping figures convey the narrative’s emotional climax, about a man’s attempts to rescue his love from her violent partner. The performance featured an entirely Black cast—unusual for the time—and opened to great acclaim in Cleveland in 1929.
  • Richard Beatty Entry Card to 1929 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Salsbury, Britany, and Erin E. Benay. Karamu Artists Inc.: Printmaking, Race, and Community. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2025. Reproduced: p. 76, no. 35
  • Karamu Artists Inc.: Printmaking, Race, and Community. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 23-August 17, 2025).
    Prints by Cleveland Artists. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 10-October 9, 1935).
    The May Show: 11th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 23-June 2, 1929).
  • {{cite web|title=Porgy|url=false|author=Richard Beatty|year=1929|access-date=18 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1929.430