Charles White

(American, 1918–1979)

Charles White was an American artist known for murals and prints which often portrayed African American subjects. In particular, he used printmaking as a way to communicate with a wider audience, and produced political cartoons and reasonably priced works as a way to ensure his art remained accessible to the masses. White’s mural, The Contribution of the Negro to American Democracy (1943) at Hampton University is perhaps his best-known work, depicting famous African Americans across history. He saw art as a vehicle for social activism, once remarking: “Art must be an integral part of the struggle. It can’t simply mirror what’s taking place. It must adapt itself to human needs. It must ally itself with the forces of liberation. The fact is, artists have always been propagandists. I have no use for artists who try to divorce themselves from the struggle.” 

White was born on April 2, 1918 on the south side of Chicago. Although he was raised in Chicago, he often visited his mother’s family in Mississippi, and he learned about his African American and Southern heritage through these trips, which would later influence his art. He completed some high school but did not graduate, eventually going on to apply to art school. Multiple art schools rescinded White’s acceptance after learning of his race, but eventually he received a full scholarship to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1938, he was hired to do work for the Illinois affiliate of the Works Project Administration. He went on to teach in New Orleans, where he was briefly married to fellow artist Elizabeth Catlett, and then served in the army in WWII. In his later life, White moved to Los Angeles, and from 1965 to 1979, he taught at the Otis Art Institute, where his students included Alonzo Davis, David Hammons, and Kerry James Marshall. He died in 1979. White’s work came forward once more thanks to a major joint retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in 2018. His work is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, among others.

Charles White Artworks

Charles White (390 results)
Harriet Tubman, 1949, 1949

Charles White

Harriet Tubman, 1949, 1949

Sale Date: May 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Cat's Cradle, 1972

Charles White

Cat's Cradle, 1972

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Silent Song #2 (Nocturne), 1969

Charles White

Silent Song #2 (Nocturne), 1969

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Head of a Woman, 1970–1975

Charles White

Head of a Woman, 1970–1975

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Head of a Woman, 1970

Charles White

Head of a Woman, 1970

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Till he was six Frederick lived happily with , 1964

Charles White

Till he was six Frederick lived happily with , 1964

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Joven (Youth), 1946

Charles White

Joven (Youth), 1946

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled (Man with Cigar), 1937–1938

Charles White

Untitled (Man with Cigar), 1937–1938

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Diego Rivera (Portrait of a Man), 1936–1938

Charles White

Diego Rivera (Portrait of a Man), 1936–1938

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Harriet Tubman, 1949

Charles White

Harriet Tubman, 1949

Sale Date: November 17, 2014

Auction Closed

I have a dream, 1976

Charles White

I have a dream, 1976

Sale Date: October 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Love letter #1 (Angela Davis), 1971

Charles White

Love letter #1 (Angela Davis), 1971

Sale Date: October 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Melinda, 1969

Charles White

Melinda, 1969

Sale Date: October 9, 2014

Auction Closed

John Brown, 1949

Charles White

John Brown, 1949

Sale Date: October 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Head of a Man, in profile * Head of a Woman, , 1979

Charles White

Head of a Man, in profile * Head of a Woman, , 1979

Sale Date: June 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Sound of Silence, 1978

Charles White

Sound of Silence, 1978

Sale Date: June 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Wanted Poster Series #11 (positive and..., 1970

Charles White

Wanted Poster Series #11 (positive and..., 1970

Sale Date: June 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (Study for Mary McLeod Bethune mural), 1976

Charles White

Untitled (Study for Mary McLeod Bethune mural), 1976

Sale Date: May 18, 2014

Auction Closed

White Madonna

Charles White

White Madonna

Sale Date: May 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Mother and Chile

Charles White

Mother and Chile

Sale Date: February 16, 2014

Auction Closed

Study of Four Faces, 1976

In the manner of Charles White

Study of Four Faces, 1976

Sale Date: February 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Jerry, 1945

Charles White

Jerry, 1945

Sale Date: February 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (Man With Newspaper and..., 1937–1938

Charles White

Untitled (Man With Newspaper and..., 1937–1938

Sale Date: February 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (Man with Cigar), 1937–1938

Charles White

Untitled (Man with Cigar), 1937–1938

Sale Date: February 13, 2014

Auction Closed