I had a special interest in this book because I knew Romare Bearden's name from his art and his ties to Charlotte, NC. Reading this book I have a great appreciation for the journey the author takes us on. One part biography, one part study of the times, one part art history, and all quite interesting. You need not be from the south, or be an art student to enjoy this biography.

There are multiple audiences for this book and I recommend it as a good read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book.

This is an art book that feels like a history book but also a biography. It’s a wonderful exploration of the world of Romare Bearden set on the backdrop of his family and heritage in the late 19th and 20th century. I have appreciated Bearden’s artwork for decades but this book gives me new insights into how his and his family’s background and experiences shaped his life as a black man in mid-20th century and inspired his art. This book is a must read for lovers of Bearden’s art.

[Review of uncorrected page proofs from NetGalley; 114 pg. of text, 24 pg. of notes, 9 pg. of bibliography]

I came to this subject as a blank canvas (see what I did there?). I knew little more about Romare Bearden than we were both born in Charlotte but neither of us really lived there. This book had me from the very beginning. Art history, social history, family history--Gilmore brings all three together in this thoroughly-researched, beautifully illustrated book.

Gilmore takes a deep dive into Bearden's family history and layers it with Bearden's own, sometimes flawed, recollections and his art work. Romare Bearden never corrected anyone's assumptions about his past and seldom seemed to have questioned his own memories. My impression is that he just didn't waste his energy on what people thought of him. His collages served as his memoirs and as with many memoirists, memory is a tricky thing. If the Kennedy-Bearden family history was the only part of this book published, it would still be a fascinating, worth-while read!

In telling the story of multiple generations of Kennedys and Beardens, Gilmore also demonstrates how racism became systemic (generation upon generation) and, in doing so, creates not just a brilliant new work on Romare Bearden but a unique history of the city of Charlotte and the Jim Crow South. The families' story is at once personal and familiar. [Easter egg: I'm going to have to read something about Woodrow Wilson now.]

To my librarian colleagues: an essential purchase for most North Carolina libraries. The tougher decision is whether to shelve it in biography or art.

"Romare Bearden, In the Homeland of His Imagination," is a comprehensive family history as well as a compilation of biographical sketches from numerous sources. It is beautifully illustrated with Bearden's work and art from his contemporaries, along with copious annotation and a huge and thorough bibliography. Clearly, this volume from Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore has been a passion that has taken years to create. Though he is presented as changing his own narrative when it suited, Bearden's passion for history is brought into focus in these pages.

It was very helpful to see Romare Bearden’s paintings alongside those of other artists’ work with whom his has been compared. He was influenced and inspired by many contemporary artists, poets, playwrights and this book is filled with helpful art critique and analysis. In turn, his work inspired others, for example August Wilson’s use of a Bearden painting to create the set for a play. (‘The Mill Hand’s Lunch Bucket’ - “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”)

The reader will see the Great Migration through the eyes of a child, see racist post-Civil War history through the personal history of a highly trained and skilled artist, from a middle class and well respected family. We read about the Harlem Renaissance, its beginnings, its heights, and its ending, as Bearden faces discrimination in the Army that strips him of his military aspirations.

Bearden's mixed race complexion concerned him because he wasn't always taken seriously as a Black artist representing the Black experience. As the author of this book notes, it was "his familiar conundrum ... the place of politics and Black identity in art."

I have a few favorite quotes from the book: Bearden's work was described by a musician who collaborated with him as "the visual equivalent of the blues." Ralph Ellison wrote "Art is the mystery that gets left out of history." From Gilmore, the author, "White supremacy's theft of memory continued into death..." Finally, in Bearden's own words, "I think the artist has to be something like a whale, swimming with his mouth wide open, absorbing everything until he has what he really needs." Anyone who loves Bearden's art needs this book.

I highly recommend this book as thoughtful and well-researched exploration of a vital and talented artist. Ideal for readers who are familiar with Romare Bearden, as well as those who just being introduced to this artist’s work.

Romare Bearden's art has always resonated with me. I thank netgalley, the publisher and Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore for granting my wish. I'll be buying a copy to place on my table along with books of other much loved artists' work.