Munich Olympic Games 1972
Artist
Jacob Lawrence
MediumSilkscreen ink on paper
Dimensions43 3/4 x 28 x 1 1/2 in. (111.1 x 71.1 x 3.8 cm)
ClassificationsPrint
Credit LineSeattle City Light 1% for Art Portable Works Collection
In 1972, Jake was commissioned to do a poster for the Olympic Games in Munich, one of many posters he did. As part of the commission, he and his wife were invited to attend the games in Germany. Jake said he was asked because they wanted a black to show the contribution that blacks made to the Olympics.
Paving the way for the generations of black artists who would follow, Lawrence was the first African-American artist to be represented by a major commercial gallery in the nation. Without question, he was the most important artist in the City of Seattle. It was at the Harlem Art Center that I was given materials and instruction in handling the plastic elements of line, texture, color, space, and value. My content consisted of scenes from the Harlem community: Street orators, bars, churches, dance halls, vaudeville, people at work and play, and the interiors of tenements.
Paving the way for the generations of black artists who would follow, Lawrence was the first African-American artist to be represented by a major commercial gallery in the nation. Without question, he was the most important artist in the City of Seattle. It was at the Harlem Art Center that I was given materials and instruction in handling the plastic elements of line, texture, color, space, and value. My content consisted of scenes from the Harlem community: Street orators, bars, churches, dance halls, vaudeville, people at work and play, and the interiors of tenements.
Jacob Lawrence
