William McBride Jr. Mid-Century Modern "Black Harlequin" Original Oil Painting on Masonite

Details

Description

Authentic, spectacular original mid-century oil painting by acclaimed deceased African-American artist William McBride Jr. (1912 - 2000).

This historic piece … Read more Authentic, spectacular original mid-century oil painting by acclaimed deceased African-American artist William McBride Jr. (1912 - 2000).

This historic piece features an elongated expressionist portrait of a jester/harlequin cradling a vibrant bouquet of flowers. The mask-like features showcase the artist's signature geometric stylization inspired by traditional African artifacts.

Details & Technical Specs:
Medium: Original oil on smooth-tempered vintage Masonite hardboard panel.
Signature: Hand-signed "McBride" in paint at the lower right.
Dimensions: Panel measures a substantial 16x8 studio dimension scaling to 24" x 36" panel size (Framed to approx 26" x 38").

Provenance Notes: Reflects the mid-20th-century Chicago South Side studio footprint.

This exceptional mid-century expressionist studio portrait is an original oil painting by celebrated Chicago modernist and WPA-era master William McBride Jr. (1912–2000). The composition beautifully explores a poignant "Black Harlequin" or jester motif, featuring his iconic elongated figurative forms, serene closed eyes, and heavy, geometric contours deeply inspired by traditional African tribal mask aesthetics.

The artwork showcases a masterful use of texture through an expressive, heavy impasto technique. It is executed directly onto a smooth-tempered masonite hardboard panel—a highly durable, rigid medium famously preferred by McBride and his contemporaries in the historic Chicago Art Crafts Guild and South Side Community Art Center. The painting arrives housed in its vintage, deep-profile black wooden studio frame

.About the Artist:
William McBride Jr. was an influential African-American artist, educator, and cultural archivist central to the historic Chicago Black Renaissance. An early pillar of the South Side Community Art Center, his historical collections and papers are permanently archived in the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection at the Chicago Public Library. His work is highly collectible, chronicling the vital creative evolution of 20th-century American modernism.

Dimensions:
Artwork Panel: 24" W × 36" H
Framed Size: Approx. 26" W × 38" H See less