Phoebe Beasley

Phoebe Beasley (born June 3, 1943[1]) is an American artist. Beasley is the only artist whose art has been awarded the Presidential Seal under two different U.S. Presidents - George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.[2][3] Beasley was the first African-American woman to become president of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.[4] She was the official artist of the 1987 and 2000 Los Angeles Marathons.[5]

Phoebe Beasley
Education
  • Honorary PhD in Fine Arts, Ohio University
  • MFA Kent State University
  • BFA Ohio University
OccupationCollage Artist

Early life and education

Phoebe Beasley was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She has two siblings. Her mother died of a heart attack at the age of 29 (when Phoebe was 7 years old).[1]

Beasley has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art education from Ohio University, and a master's degree from Kent State University. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Ohio University in 2005. She also delivered the commencement address that year.[5]

Career

Beasley's high school guidance counselor told her that she shouldn't major in art because there was 'no such thing as an African-American artist.' [6]

Beasley was told multiple times by white gallery owners, "I don't carry black art." She was also asked "why do you always paint black subjects?" Beasley's said, "It was strange - especially since they were painting nothing but white subjects... Most of my themes are what I know, based on my point of reference, just like any other artist."[7]

From 1997 - 2012, she spent 15 years as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.[8]

In 2012, she was one of 44 artists commissioned to make a collage on a life-size bust of President Barack Obama.[9]

In 2013, she was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for Visual Arts & Advocacy by the California African American Museum.[8]

In 2015, her most expensive work to date was sold for $11,875 at Swann Auction Galleries.[10] That year, she was also appointed to the California Arts Council in 2015 by former California Governor Jerry Brown.[11]

Many celebrities have purchased Beasley's work - including Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes, Tavis Smiley, and more.[1]

Art inspiration

Beasley says she likes to make beautiful things out of "other people's trash," and that her creativity comes out as she works with texture, since she considers collage her main medium of art. She explains one of her collages of flowers as representing "humanity - they represented living and dying... It does not matter how much you nurture something, we are all going to die."[12]

Personal life

Beasley was good friends with her mentor Maya Angelou, who's quoted as saying "Phoebe Beasley's eye has never failed her, has never lied to her, and her art generously gives us beauty, information, and always the truth."[6]

Beasley said if she had it her way, she'd wear a ball gown every day.[12]

Notes
  1. "Phoebe Beasley's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  2. "Phoebe Beasley : A Bright Look At Everyday Life". Swann Galleries News. 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  3. "Phoebe Beasley – U.S. Department of State". Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  4. Jones, Kellie (2017-03-17). South of Pico: African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s. Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822374169.
  5. "Ohio University Outlook". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  6. "Phoebe Beasley Artist Talk and Reception | The University of La Verne". laverne.edu. 2019-03-12. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  7. Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. October 1989.
  8. "Phoebe Beasley". Experience Talks. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  9. "PHOEBE BEASLEY | Visions of Our 44th President". 44th-president. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  10. "Phoebe Beasley | Art Auction Results". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  11. admin (2015-08-31). "Phoebe Beasley". AFRICANAH.ORG. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  12. "Phoebe Beasley's artwork displayed in Payson ‹ Pepperdine Graphic". pepperdine-graphic.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
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