Left: Jacob Lawrence, Peace, Panel 26, 1956, from Struggle: From the History of the American People, 1954–56. Egg tempera on hardboard. Courtesy of Bill and Holly Marklyn. © The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Right: Jacob Lawrence, . . . for freedom we want and will have, for we have served this cruel land long enuff . . . —a Georgia slave, 1810, Panel 27, 1956, from Struggle: From the History of the American People, 1954–56. Egg tempera on hardboard. Private Collection. © The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.



January 18–April 26, 2020; tours nationally through 2021

Peabody Essex Museum 

16 Essex Street, Salem, MA 

For information, call 866.745.1876 or visit www.pem.org




Artist Jacob Lawrence with Panel 26 and Panel 27 from Struggle: From the History of the American People, 1954–56. © Robert W. Kelley/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images.

Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle is the first museum exhibition to feature the celebrated series of paintings, Struggle: From the History of the American People (1954–56), by Jacob Lawrence. Painted during the civil rights era by one of the best-known black American artists of the 20th century, the series of 30 intimate panels depicts pivotal moments in early American history with an emphasis on the contributions that black people, Native Americans, and women made in shaping our nation’s founding and identity. The exhibition, organized by PEM and touring nationally through 2021, tackles a question central to Lawrence’s work: “What is the cost of democracy for all?”


Lawrence saw American history as a complex shared experience and his paintings sought to create a broader, more encompassing narrative that celebrated prominent historical figures alongside those unsung and underrepresented; his visual style conveys the physical, emotional, and ideological struggles inherent to the country’s founding.


Jacob Lawrence, Thousands of American citizens have been torn from their country and from everything dear to them: they have been dragged on board ships of war of a foreign nation. — Madison, 1 June 1812, Panel 19, 1956, from Struggle: From the History of the American People, 1954–56. Egg tempera on hardboard. Collection of Harvey and Harvey-Ann Ross. © The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photography by Stephen Petegorsky.


Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle presents Lawrence’s paintings in dialogue with contemporary black artists Derrick Adams, Bethany Collins, and Hank Willis Thomas whose work powerfully asserts that America’s struggles—for democracy, justice, truth, and inclusion—continue in earnest today. Reunited for the first time in more than 60 years, the Struggle series brings American history to life through energetic, expressive paintings that hug the boundary between figuration and abstraction.



This article was originally published in the 20th Anniversary (Spring/Summer 2020) issue of Antiques & Fine Art magazine, a fully digitized version of which is available at www.afamag.com. AFA is affiliated with Incollect.com.