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.

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Roy DeCarava Artworks

Roy DeCarava (177 results)

Self-Portrait, 1960–1969

Roy DeCarava

Self-Portrait, 1960–1969

Sale Date: April 10, 2024

Auction Closed

Kids God Bless, 1950

Roy DeCarava

Kids God Bless, 1950

Sale Date: October 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Apartment For Rent, 1977–1978

Roy DeCarava

Apartment For Rent, 1977–1978

Sale Date: August 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Man Coming Up Subway Stairs., 1952

Roy DeCarava

Man Coming Up Subway Stairs., 1952

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Sherry, Susan, Wendy, and Laura., 1983

Roy DeCarava

Sherry, Susan, Wendy, and Laura., 1983

Sale Date: February 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Portrait of the singer, actor, and activist..., 1950

Roy DeCarava

Portrait of the singer, actor, and activist..., 1950

Sale Date: October 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Detail, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Sale Date: June 4, 2022

Auction Closed

Night Feeding, 1973

Roy DeCarava

Night Feeding, 1973

Sale Date: May 24, 2022

Auction Closed

Horace Silver, New York, 1963

Roy DeCarava

Horace Silver, New York, 1963

Sale Date: May 24, 2022

Auction Closed

A group of 6 signed books, including his..., 1977

Roy DeCarava

A group of 6 signed books, including his..., 1977

Sale Date: April 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Graduation, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Graduation, 1949

Sale Date: April 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Bass Player, Small's, New York, 1956

Roy DeCarava

Bass Player, Small's, New York, 1956

Sale Date: October 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Cycle of Blue Collar Workers, New York, NY, 1963

Roy DeCarava

Cycle of Blue Collar Workers, New York, NY, 1963

Sale Date: October 4, 2021

Auction Closed

Man Standing Outside of a Building, 1952

Roy DeCarava

Man Standing Outside of a Building, 1952

Sale Date: October 5, 2021

Auction Closed

John Coltrane, Half Note, 1960

Roy DeCarava

John Coltrane, Half Note, 1960

Sale Date: October 5, 2021

Auction Closed

Graduation, 1949

Roy DeCarava

Graduation, 1949

Sale Date: October 5, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled, circa 1960, 1960

Roy DeCarava

Untitled, circa 1960, 1960

Sale Date: September 9, 2021

Auction Closed

Catsup Bottles, Table and Coat, New York, 1952

Roy DeCarava

Catsup Bottles, Table and Coat, New York, 1952

Sale Date: May 27, 2021

Auction Closed

Dancers, 1956

Roy DeCarava

Dancers, 1956

Sale Date: April 21, 2021

Auction Closed

Cycle of Blue Collar Workers, New York, NY,..., 1963

Roy DeCarava

Cycle of Blue Collar Workers, New York, NY,..., 1963

Sale Date: October 2, 2020

Auction Closed

Lonely Women, 1960

Roy DeCarava

Lonely Women, 1960

Sale Date: June 11, 2020

Auction Closed

TWO WOMEN, MANNEQUIN'S HAND, 1950

Roy DeCarava

TWO WOMEN, MANNEQUIN'S HAND, 1950

Sale Date: April 3, 2020

Auction Closed

Man in Window, 1978

Roy DeCarava

Man in Window, 1978

Sale Date: October 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Boy with bowed head, 1961

Roy DeCarava

Boy with bowed head, 1961

Sale Date: October 17, 2019

Auction Closed

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English (US)

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