Private collection, Covington, Georgia.

Lawrence Philp (American, b. 1949) Untitled Oil on canvas 61 x 73 inches (154.9 x 185.4 cm) (image) PROVENANCE: Private collection, Covington, Georgia. The son of Jamaican immigrants who migrated to New York in the 1920s, Lawrence Philp, was raised in Manhattan and studied at the Rhode Island School of Design from 1967 to 1971. He then received his MFA after studying at the University of Michigan from 1971 to 1973. The 2022 exhibition entitled Lawrence Philp’s Color Grid at the University of Maryland Global Campus brought his work into a well-deserved spotlight. A profound figure in the contemporary art landscape, Philp intricately weaves his heritage and identity as a Black artist into the fabric of his work, offering a rich, nuanced exploration of culture, identity, and the African diaspora. This engagement with his heritage is evident in the thematic depth and symbolic richness of his pieces. He frequently draws upon African motifs, folklore, and historical narratives, recontextualizing them within the contemporary moment to speak to the ongoing struggles and resilience of his community. This integration of cultural heritage is not merely decorative but serves as a crucial means of storytelling and reclamation of identity, providing a counter-narrative to the often marginalized or misrepresented histories of Black communities in mainstream art discourse. He often incorporates elements of abstraction, expressionism, and surrealism, blending these styles in a way that challenges traditional aesthetic norms. Philp notes, "I define my art as a search for meaning inside the relative absurdity of life and a way of valuing life and spending minutes, days, and hours working on stuff." His use of color is particularly noteworthy, employing vibrant palettes to convey mood and atmosphere, while his manipulation of form and space invites the viewer to delve deeper into the narrative of each piece. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

Not framed, unstretched. Canvas is currently rolled and has accompanying soft creases. Wear along the extreme edges of the canvas.