The artist Beulah Woodard was a Los Angeles transplant who developed her artistic skills at Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles County (now the Otis College of Art & Design) and the University of Southern California. A 1949 clay sculpture by Woodard portrays Biddy Mason, who was born into slavery but petitioned for her freedom in a Los Angeles court. Mason went on to become an influential L.A. entrepreneur, beloved philanthropist and a founding member of the First A.M.E. Church. The sculpture shows Mason’s strength - one hand is clasped into a fist on her heart, the other placed carefully on the head of a young child grasping her skirt. To her right, the bull head symbolizes her physical strength, fighting spirit and independence. The sculpture was part of The Legacy of the Golden State Mutual Insurance Company exhibition at the California African American Museum (CAAM) in Exposition Park. The exhibition was dubbed “a golden collection of African American art in Los Angeles” by the L.A. Times.

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s iconic Six Crimee (acrylic and oil stick on masonite, 1982) is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Six Crimee represents the Neo-Expressionism wave of art originating from New York during the 1980s and Basquiat’s past as a graffiti artist. Brooklyn born and of Haitian-Puerto Rican descent, Basquiat is widely known for his "visual vocabulary" and "concrete poetry" as well as his edgy interview persona. His art is a mixture of symbols and figures representing African American history - words are combined with brush strokes, stick figures and color concoctions. Basquiat collaborated with his friend Andy Warhol on a series of paintings and projects during this exciting time in New York City’s arts scene.

The son of an African Methodist Episcopal bishop, Henry Ossawa Tanner’s career began in Philadelphia in the 1880s. With racial discrimination posing a threat to his career in the States, Tanner moved to Paris where he remained until his death. Tanner is regarded as one of the most significant painters of late nineteenth century romanticism and was one of the few painters to achieve critical acclaim in both Europe and the United States.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den (oil on paper mounted on canvas, 1907-1918) is currently on view in the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Daniel in the Lions’ Den depicts an Old Testament story set during the reign of King Darius of Persia. Tanner’s work is a version of an earlier painting of the same scene with slight modifications. It speaks to Tanner’s masterful use of color in order to create a compelling narrative on canvas with timeless appeal.

A native of Chicago, Charles White moved to Los Angeles and taught at the Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles County (now the Otis College of Art & Design) for more than a decade until his death in 1979. In July 2014, The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens announced the acquisition of White’s painting, Soldier (tempera on masonite, 1944). Soldier is exemplary of White’s work –  a lone soldier is portrayed in a desert-like landscape and his disproportionately large and angular hands resemble a machine more than a human. White’s personal experience in the army is present as a subtext – this soldier’s face speaks of agony, an isolated soul. The artist’s works often deal with themes such as African American issues and social matters. Other works by White can be found in LACMA’s permanent collection.

Robert Scott Duncanson’s landscape paintings depict scenes that connect the artist’s roots. The son of an African American mother and a Scottish Canadian father, Duncanson grew up in Canada and Ohio, furthered his artistic skills in Europe and found artistic success in the American Midwest. Along with Charles White’s Soldier, The Huntington also announced the acquisition of Duncanson’s Landscape with Ruin (oil on canvas, ca. 1853), a dramatic depiction of an abandoned castle atop a cliff in a remote setting. The painting is on display in the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art. Walking out into the lush gardens at The Huntington is like stepping right into a Duncanson painting – the abundance of flora and fauna at the foot of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains is a nature lover’s dream.