African American Art History

African American art is one of the great achievements of American culture, reflecting generations of creativity, resilience, innovation, and artistic vision. Our private tours explore the artists, collectors, patrons, and institutions that helped shape this remarkable tradition while examining the historical and cultural forces that inspired their work.

Depending on your interests, journeys may include museums and galleries throughout Washington, Baltimore, and the Mid-Atlantic. Together we’ll explore how artists responded to changing ideas about identity, community, landscape, abstraction, spirituality, and social change while contributing to the broader story of American art.

Highlights may include the work of Henry Ossawa Tanner, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Sam Gilliam (whose art is shown in the image for this page), Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Archibald Motley, and other influential artists whose work transformed American painting, sculpture, printmaking, and contemporary art.

Washington holds a particularly important place in this story. Alma Thomas helped redefine American abstraction through her luminous explorations of color and light, while Sam Gilliam, whose studio remained for decades on historic U Street—Washington’s celebrated “Black Broadway”—became one of the most influential abstract painters of the twentieth century. Their work demonstrates how Washington emerged as one of the nation’s most important centers of artistic innovation.

Whether your interests include American art, abstraction, portraiture, landscape, civil rights history, museum collections, or contemporary art, each experience is thoughtfully tailored to your group and paced to encourage observation, discussion, and discovery.

Available as a walking experience, half-day, or full-day journey depending on the collections and museums you wish to explore.