The Great Migration at MoMA

In 1941, 23-year-old Jacob Lawrence completed a series of 60 small tempera paintings on the Great Migration, the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North that started around 1915.

Lawrence, who would go on to become one of the best known African-American painters of the 20th century, gained national recognition from the series. He described his style as "dynamic cubism," though by his own account his primary influence was the shapes and colors of Harlem.

One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and Other Visions of the Great Movement North reunites all 60 panels for the first time at MoMA in 20 years. The exhibition runs from April 3 to September 7.

Along with Lawrences series, the exhibition includes other accounts of the Migration, including writings, music, photography, paintings, and sociological tracks by the likes of Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Dorothea Lange, Robert McNeill, Walter White, Charles Alston and more.

Lot 242, The Builders (right) and Lot 244, #2 (left)

Those looking to start a Jacob Lawrence collection of their own need look no further than Bidsquare. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Fine Prints sale, live on Bidsquare, contains no less than seven pieces by the artist, with estimated prices ranging between $1,000-$10,000.

Look now at the full catalog for the Fine Prints sale, set down for Thursday, May 21.