Jacob Lawrence: The Legend of John Brown

FIA presents The Legend of John Brown by Jacob Lawrence, a series of 22 silkscreen prints, in the Founder’s Society’s Graphics Gallery. The series is based on Lawrence’s same-size gouche paintings from 1941 which are part of the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The Legend of John Brown series is one of the artist’s historical epics that focused on heroic 19th-century figures like controversial abolitionist John Brown. Brown had given up hope that slavery could be ended without violence and planned to raid a U.S. military arsenal to arm hundreds of slaves. He and his followers were overpowered by federal troops and Brown was tried and convicted for treason, murder, as well as inciting slaves to revolt.