Jones, Lois Mailou
1905-1998 · Contribution: 1930s-1998
Painting, watercolor, collage, and textile design spanning Impressionist landscapes, Paris scenes, African-mask-inspired compositions, and Haitian subjects; a key transmitter of Negritude aesthetics into visual art

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
An influential Harlem Renaissance-era artist and, for nearly five decades (1930-1977), a Howard University professor who trained generations of Black artists including Elizabeth Catlett and David Driskell; honored at the White House by President Carter (1980).
Life & background
African-American painter and educator born Nov 3, 1905 in Boston, MA. Studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Academie Julian in Paris; BA from Howard University (1945). Traveled extensively in France, Haiti, and Africa. Died June 9, 1998 in Washington, DC.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica; Studio Museum in Harlem; Illustration History
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