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Thompson Collection

The Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection of African American Art includes the work of both celebrated artists and artists considered emerging, regional or lesser known. In 2012, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson donated 100 works to the Georgia Museum of Art from their prominent collection of works by African American artists, as well as funding an endowment to support a new curatorial position at the museum for African American and African Diasporic art. Each year, at its annual Black History Celebration, the museum presents the Thompson Award, which honors an African American artist who has made significant yet under-recognized contributions to the visual arts. Recipients of the Thompson Award include Harold Rittenberry, jeweler Charles Pinckney, Amalia Amaki, Emma Amos, Larry Walker, Freddie Styles and Leo Twiggs.

The Thompson collection includes paintings, prints and sculpture dating from the 1890s to the present. Exhibited in both special exhibitions and in our permanent collection galleries, the works provide a more in-depth, inclusive understanding of American art. Artists with work in the collection include Radcliffe Bailey, Amiri Baraka, Romare Bearden, Camille Billops, Joseph Delaney, Norman Lewis, Charles E. Porter, Henry Ossawa Tanner, William T. Williams and Hale Woodruff.

  • Georgia Museum of Art
    Radcliffe Bailey (American, b. 1968), untitled, 1996. Acrylic on paper and photograph, 30 × 22 1/2 inches. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; The Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection of African American Art. GMOA 2011.577
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  • Georgia Museum of Art
    Beauford Delaney (American, 1901 – 1979), “Portrait of Imogene Delaney,” 1963. Oil on canvas, 38 1/2 × 31 inches. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; The Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection of African American Art. GMOA 2011.584
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  • Georgia Museum of Art
    Benny Andrews (American, 1930 – 2006), “Sinner Man,” 1995. Oil, gouache and collage. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; The Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection of African American Art. GMOA 2012.110
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  • Georgia Museum of Art
    Vertis Hayes (American, 1911 – 2000), “Juke Joint,” 1946. Oil on canvas. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; The Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection of African American Art. GMOA 2012.126
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  • Georgia Museum of Art
    Romare Bearden (American, 1911 – 1988), “Bullfight,” 1947. Watercolor and gouache. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; The Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection of African American Art. GMOA 2012.113
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