"Leap" Original Painting by Alvin Carl Hollingsworth, 1980

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"Leap" is a painting inspired by the dancers of the Alvin Ailey Dance Group. Alvin and Alvin were contemporaries and … Read more "Leap" is a painting inspired by the dancers of the Alvin Ailey Dance Group. Alvin and Alvin were contemporaries and friends who inspired each other and Hollingsworth made a series of paintings of the dancers. This piece was the artist's original archives.

Alvin C Hollingsworth (1928–2000) was a pioneering African American artist known for his work in a variety of mediums, including painting, illustration, and graphic art. His career spanned several decades, and he is recognized for his contributions to both the fine arts and the world of comics.

His subjects included the civil rights movement, women, dance, jazz and more, and captured them as both abstract and representational art. Hollingsworth's work often featured bold use of color, dynamic compositions, and a keen focus on themes of identity, culture, empowerment, pride, and resilience. His art was deeply influenced by his experiences growing up in Harlem, his religious sensibilities, as well as his passion for social justice and civil rights.

In 1963, he joined artist Romare Bearden, Hale Woodruff, Emma Amos, Norman Lewis and other African American artists to form the art group Spiral to show support through their art and exhibitions for the civil rights movement.

His works are in the collections of Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Archives, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Emily Lowe and Ward Eggleston Gallery, James E. Lewis Museum, Hecksher Museum, Benton and Bowles, IBM, Chase banks, Rutgers, Joshua Logan, Debbie Allen, Carol Jenkins, Allan Stone, Halle Berry, Lena Horne, Yoko Ono, David Rockefeller, etc. See less