In the Eye of the Muses

Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries in Atlanta, Georgia celebrates the seventieth anniversary of the founding of its permanent collection and the sixtieth anniversary of the unveiling of the Art of the Negro murals with this commemorative volume. Initially conceived with works selected from annual exhibitions, the collection today constitutes a rare and remarkable assemblage of African-American art. In the Eye of the Muses tells the story of the Atlanta University Art Annuals held between 1942 and 1970, from which the collection stemmed, cataloging the 887 artists who participated and crucially enhancing our understanding of art by African Americans. In an accompanying essay, Hale Woodruff's Art of the Negro mural suite is eloquently explicated by art critic Jerry Cullum. In the Eye of the Muses presents a monumental catalogue of a unique collection.