Romare Bearden in the Homeland of His Imagination by Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore is a fascinating critical biography that I am anxious to read yet again.

I found myself so wrapped up in the story of Bearden's family history, his own personal life story, and the remembered story of where he had lived that I had to make myself slow down to better appreciate the pictures and the analyses of them. Which is why I am so eager to reread the book, this time I am going to concentrate on the artworks primarily and his life secondarily. The impressive part of this book is the way the works and his life are weaved into a whole, so one cannot completely ignore either aspect. Since I came to it mostly for the biography I tended to focus on that as I read through the book the first time. This next one will be focused on the art as art (which by necessity will include his life but secondarily in my reading this time).

The writing is engaging, the research shows in every element of the book, and the enthusiasm Gilmore has for Bearden and his work makes it all come alive. Highly recommended for those who enjoy biographies, those who enjoy African American history, and those interested in art history.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )