Robert Freeman (born 1946) is an American painter and educator known for his large-scale, figurative oil paintings titled Black Tie,[1] offering commentary on the personal conflict Freeman felt as African-Americans settled into middle-class life following the racial tensions of the 1960s and 1970s.
[5] Freeman was born in Brooklyn, New York and spent much of his youth between Accra, Ghana and the United States.
[10] Known for his trademarks, the use of contrasting color, movement and nearly abstract figures, Freeman's paintings depict African American subjects, and are inspired by his childhood experiences in Ghana and Washington, D.C.[11] In his 1981 series, Black Tie, Freeman explored and celebrated "the beauty, elegance and grace of the black middle class" through his personal experience.
[16] In 2008, Freeman's paintings were exhibited in the Five American Voices exhibit among the works of Romare Bearden, Benny Andrews, Alma Woodsey Thomas, and Richard Yarde at the Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C. [17] Black Tie, now part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s permanent collection,[18] is among the numerous works of art that Freeman has shown nationally for over 40 years.
Some of his paintings can be found in the collections at the National Center for African American Artists, Boston Public Library, DeCordova Museum,[19] and Brown University[20] among other institutions.