Carnegie Museum of Art Assistant Curator Alyssa Velazquez discusses the exhibit, "Raymond Saunders: Flowers from a Black Garden". This exhibit is the artist’s first solo museum exhibition in nearly three decades. Velazquez reflects on Saunders’ unique ability to fuse abstraction, figuration, found objects, and text into compositions that confront American history. She speaks about Saunders’ return to his hometown of Pittsburg, and his early years shaped by the museum’s youth art program.
Drawing on movements like Dada, Fluxus, and Pop Art, the 35 works on view showcase Saunders’ profound engagement with Black identity, urban life, and cultural memory. Velazquez emphasizes that this homecoming reclaims and re-centers Saunders’ place within the broader art historical canon, celebrating his legacy as both a visionary painter and a trailblazing educator. New York Times critic Will Heinrich wrote that “If possible I recommend heading to Pittsburgh immediately to see the show”.
"Raymond Saunders: Flowers from a Black Garden" is on view through July 13, 2025. Witness the powerful resonance of Saunders’ work in the city that first nurtured his voice.
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