Learn about Robert Duncanson
Raised in Monroe, Ohio, and trained in the family trades of house painting and carpentry, Robert Duncanson dreamed of becoming an artist. He relocated to Mt. Pleasant (now Mt. Healthy) and taught himself to paint by executing portraits, sketching nature, and copying prints.
In 1848, abolitionist minister Charles Avery commissioned him to paint Cliff Mine, Lake Superior, which launched his career as a landscape painter. In 1850, Cincinnati millionaire and arts patron Nicholas Longworth commissioned Duncanson to paint a series of murals on the entryway of his home, which is now the Taft Museum of Art.
In 1853, Robert Duncanson became the first African American artist to make the traditional “grand tour” of Europe to further his art education – he even painted for Queen Victoria. Duncanson returned to Cincinnati and expanded his works to include daguerreotypes for Black photographers, an anti-slavery panorama, and abolitionist portraits.
During the Civil War, Robert Duncanson lived in Canada as a respected artist. Leaving for the British Isles in 1865, he returned to Cincinnati as an internationally recognized artist. He began to show signs of dementia, likely due to years of exposure to lead-based paints.
While installing an exhibition in Michigan in 1872, Robert Duncanson suffered a seizure and died. They buried him in Woodland Cemetery in Monroe, Michigan.
Related Article: Check out these African American Museums to Visit
Robert Duncanson’s Taft Museum of Art murals were conserved between 1994 and 2000. Likely inspired by the Ohio River Valley, the murals are now recognized as the most significant pre–Civil War domestic murals in the United States.
The Duncanson Artist-in-Residence Program, established in 1986, honors contemporary Black artists working in various artistic disciplines. The Taft Museum selects an artist to work directly with the public and area schools each year.
Related Article: The 2021 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence is Project Runway alum Asha Ama Bias-Daniels.
Sources
The Duncanson Murals | Historic Murals at the Taft Museum
Cincinnati History Library and Archives – cincymuseum.org
About The First 28
The First 28, graciously sponsored by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, celebrates Black Cincinnatians who were the first in their fields. Each day during Black History Month, we will celebrate athletes, artists, business leaders, civil rights activists, educators, physicians, and politicians.
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Images provided by the Smithsonian, Wikipedia, and Ryan Patrick Hopper
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