Jacob Lawrence’s intimate “The Lovers, 1946” boasts a strong composition, dramatic rhythm, exceptional colors and a universal theme. A compassionate and engaging storyteller, Lawrence (1917 – 2000) grew up in Harlem, painting scenes inspired by daily African-American life in his signature style of flattened, fragmented shapes and brilliant colors. An important commentator on African-American experiences, he was strongly associated with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1930s and 1940s. The first African-American whose work was exhibited in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Lawrence was also awarded the NAACP’s highest honor, the Springarn Medal.

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