The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2023

Tea for Two (The Collector)

1980

Robert Colescott

(American, 1925–2009)

America, 20th century

Acrylic on canvas

Overall: 215.5 x 185 x 5 cm (84 13/16 x 72 13/16 x 1 15/16 in.)

Gift of Agnes Gund given in honor of Darren Walker 2017.128

© Robert H. Colescott Separate Property Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)

Location

229A Contemporary

Fun Fact

<em>Tea for Two </em>features representations of artworks by Roy Lichtenstein, Barnett Newman, David Smith, and Frank Stella, among other artists.

Description

Robert Colescott is known for his figurative paintings that critique contemporary American culture. Using bright colors, expressive gestures, and visual puns, he debunks racial and gender stereotypes deeply ingrained in American culture and society. Tea for Two depicts a wealthy Black art collector surrounded by his collection that suggest artworks by Roy Lichtenstein, David Smith, Frank Stella, and other elite white artists whose work fetches high prices.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Signed and dated in the upper left: “R. Colescott/80”

Provenance
Collection of the artist
Private Collection, New York.
2017-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Richard, Paul. “Robert Colescott’s Perspectives on Black and White.” The Washington Post (January 20, 1988). mentioned www.washingtonpost.com
Sims, Lowery Stokes, Robert Colescott, and Mitchell Douglas Kahan. Robert Colescott, a Retrospective, 1975-1986. San Jose, Calif: The Museum, 1987. Reproduced p. 25, Fig. 30; mentioned p. 26.
Colescott, Robert, Ann Shengold, and Terry Maxon Miller, eds. Robert Colescott: Another Judgement. Exh. Cat. Charlotte, NC: Knight Gallery, Spirit Square Arts Center, 1985. Reproduced p. 17.
Kahan, Mitchell. “Robert Colescott: Pride and Prejudice.” Art Papers 9, no. 3 (May/June 1985): 22-23 Mentioned p. 23
Platow, Raphaela, et al. Art and race matters: the career of Robert Colescott. New York, New York : Rizzoli Electa ; Cincinnati, Ohio : In association with Contempoary Arts Center, 2019. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 129-130, fig. 30
“New Take on the New: A comprehensive reinstallation of the galleries of contemporary art offers fresh viewpoints on the art of our time.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 61, no. 2 (Spring 2021): cover, 4-9. Reproduced: Cover; Mentioned: P. 4.
Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 61, no. 2 (Spring 2021): Cover. Reproduced: Cover; Mentioned: P. 4.
Exhibition history

Robert Colescott: Another Judgement. Knight Gallery, Spirit Square Arts Center, Charlotte, NC (February 13-April 7, 1985).

Robert Colescott: A Retrospective, 1975-1986. San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA (organizer) (April 5-May 31, 1987); Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH (September 11-November 7, 1987); The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (January 12-February 28, 1988); Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (March 18-May 8, 1988); Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH (June 18-August 14, 1988); Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (September 10-November 5, 1988); Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX (December 3, 1988-January 28, 1989); The New Museum, New York (February 25-April 22, 1989); Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA (May 20-July 15, 1989).

From Then to Now: Masterworks of Contemporary African American Art. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 29-May 9, 2010).

Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott. Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH (organizer) (September 20, 2019-January 12, 2020); Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR (February 15-December 13, 2020).

Contemporary Gallery Reinstallation 2021. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.128