Robert Reid

Robert Dennis Reid, unlike most mid-twentieth century Black artists in America, eschewed subjects that specifically reflected his heritage. Instead, he created striking quasi-abstract compositions using collage, paint, and pencil, often depicting numerals and humanoid structures in vast landscapes.

Reid was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and from 1941 to 1943 he studied at Clark College, which during the previous decade had joined the Atlanta University complex alongside Morehouse and Spelman Colleges. His alma mater is now known as Clark Atlanta University. For the next three years, Reid pursued his art education at the School of the Art Institute, then moved to New York where he studied between 1948 and 1950 at Parsons School of Design. He is also said to have worked at the post office to support himself.

Reid exhibited his work widely, participating in solo shows and in group shows from the 1950s through the 1990s. Major opportunities included the First World Festival of Negro Artists in Dakar, the capital of Senegal in 1965, the American Embassies State Department Program in 1967, and both the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Whitney for the 1971 exhibition Contemporary Black Art in America. From 1970 to 1971 he took a position at the Summit Art Center in New Jersey, where he taught painting and drawing. He then was hired by the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence where he taught fashion illustration, drawing, and design.

The artist was befriended by Romare Bearden who, after attending an exhibition of Reid's work in late 1967, wrote "I certainly enjoyed these latest paintings. The work has matured a great deal which means you have been tending the furnace. There's no need to wish you luck on the exhibit because these paintings speak in a quiet, refined way and I know in time will make many friends. I am glad to see that you are continuing at such a high level." A later letter from Bearden included the following offer: "Of course, I'll be more than happy to endorse you for the Guggenheim—I do hope you'll get it... I feel you are a fine talent." Whether or not Reid applied for a fellowship is unknown.