"The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art features a broad selection of outstanding works from this important private collection. Eighty color plates illustrate the aesthetic legacy created by African American artists over more than one hundred fifty years.". "The introduction and scholarly essays will interest students and general readers as well as specialists and museum professionals. Four notable scholars examine the visual, social, and political contexts that influenced the artists. Dr. Evans contributes a personal statement about the joy he finds in collecting - and his desire to advance knowledge of and appreciation for the rich heritage created by American artists of African descent. The Evans Collection reveals the diversity and aesthetic genius of historical predecessors, and reaffirms the vital contributions that African Americans continue to make to the nation's culture."--BOOK JACKET.