Roy DeCarava

(American, 1919–2009)

Roy DeCarava was a photographer best known for chronicling the daily life of the Black community and famous Jazz musicians in his hometown of Harlem, New York during the Harlem Renaissance. His most famous works include Graduation and John Coltrane, which were both featured in his book “The Sweet Flypaper of Life,” a collaboration with Langston Hughes. DeCarava began his career as a painter, using a camera only to record images to paint later. Becoming aware of the limitations faced by Black painters, he was eventually drawn to the immediacy of photography and shifted gears. DeCarava’s shift to photography was also a response to the Civil Rights Movement, and came from a desire to represent the Black community in an artistic light. “One of the things that got to me was that I felt that Black people were not being portrayed in a serious and in an artistic way,” he told the New York Times in 1982. In 1938, DeCarava was awarded a scholarship to the Cooper Union School of Art. He studied there for two years, before attending the Harlem Community Art Center, where his peers included Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Langston Hughes. For his final year, DeCarava attended the George Washington Carver Art School, where he learned alongside the social realist Charles White. Throughout his career, DeCarava combined political commentary with aesthetic beauty. He passed away in Harlem in 2009. In 2019, David Zwirner Books published Light Break, a survey of DeCarava’s work. His photographs can also be seen in the MoMA, the Whitney, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Roy DeCarava News

On View

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by Eileen Kinsella
5 Must-See Gallery Shows in Chicago
Opinion

The Gray Market: Why Freeports Don't Deserve Salvation From Stricter Regulations (and Other Insights)

by Tim Schneider
The Gray Market: Why Freeports Don't Deserve Salvation From Stricter Regulations (and Other Insights)
Galleries

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by Tim Schneider
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Roy DeCarava Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Roy DeCarava (188 results)
Self-Portrait, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Self-Portrait, 1949

Sale Date: October 6, 2016

Auction Closed

The Sweet Flypaper of Life

Roy DeCarava

The Sweet Flypaper of Life

Sale Date: February 25, 2016

Auction Closed

Nude, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Nude, 1949

Sale Date: April 7, 2016

Auction Closed

Man's Back, 1957

Roy DeCarava

Man's Back, 1957

Sale Date: October 15, 2015

Auction Closed

Couple in Prospect Park, 1979

Roy DeCarava

Couple in Prospect Park, 1979

Sale Date: April 2, 2015

Auction Closed

Dancers, 1956

Roy DeCarava

Dancers, 1956

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (Head of a man), 1949

Roy DeCarava

Untitled (Head of a man), 1949

Sale Date: October 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Nude, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Nude, 1949

Sale Date: October 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Anya, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Anya, 1949

Sale Date: October 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Portfolio entitled Roy DeCarava..., 1950–1979

Roy DeCarava

Portfolio entitled Roy DeCarava..., 1950–1979

Sale Date: October 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Couples, New York, 1960

Roy DeCarava

Couples, New York, 1960

Sale Date: September 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Hotel, New York, 1962

Roy DeCarava

Hotel, New York, 1962

Sale Date: September 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Adolescent (Close Up), 1949

Roy DeCarava

Adolescent (Close Up), 1949

Sale Date: June 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Anya, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Anya, 1949

Sale Date: June 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Boys playing on the street, 1955

Roy DeCarava

Boys playing on the street, 1955

Sale Date: April 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Kids God Bless (from Belafonte, New York 19) , 1952

Roy DeCarava

Kids God Bless (from Belafonte, New York 19) , 1952

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Kids God Bless (from Belafonte, New York 19) , 1952

Roy DeCarava

Kids God Bless (from Belafonte, New York 19) , 1952

Sale Date: April 2, 2014

Auction Closed

Dancer's Legs, 1956

Roy DeCarava

Dancer's Legs, 1956

Sale Date: February 28, 2014

Auction Closed

This Site, New York, 1963

Roy DeCarava

This Site, New York, 1963

Sale Date: April 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Man in Window, New York, 1978

Roy DeCarava

Man in Window, New York, 1978

Sale Date: April 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Man with Portfolio, 1959

Roy DeCarava

Man with Portfolio, 1959

Sale Date: November 19, 2013

Auction Closed

Ketchup bottles, table and coat, 1952

Roy DeCarava

Ketchup bottles, table and coat, 1952

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Tenement Clotheslines, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Tenement Clotheslines, 1949

Sale Date: October 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Adolescent (Close Up), 1949

Roy DeCarava

Adolescent (Close Up), 1949

Sale Date: October 3, 2013

Auction Closed

English (US)

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