Romare Bearden’s art is dazzling – a virtual kaleidoscope of the black experience, celebrating its culture, encompassing the rural South, the jazz and blues musicians scene, the harsh urban experience of Harlem, imbued with the religious, mystical, magical, aspects of being black.

But Bearden did not start out being an artist.

Instead he was on his way of becoming a professional baseball player in the major leagues. His athletic prowess as a star pitcher, evident while playing for Boston University’s varsity team, while studying there, eventually leading to an offer from a major league team, the Philadelphia Athletics.

But the faint-coloured Bearden turned it down, unwilling to meet the team owners stipulation that he would have to pass himself off as white.

While studying at the university Bearden had enrolled in several art classes – a foreshadowing of things to come.

So after two years at Boston University he joined the American army. After a three-year stint (1942-1945) in Europe he returned to New York.

It was there that he began to dabble in painting, writing books and music.

Five years later, in 1950, he went to Paris, studying art history and philosophy at the Sorbonne University.

Upon his return to New York he became a serious painter.

Bearden’s style – a potpourri of many sources; music, especially the blues and jazz, Western European art, African sculpture, the art of his Mexican and American contemporaries.

He is best known for his collages – the art form of overlapping materials such photographs, fabric, coloured and textured paper, supplemented with acrylic paints and inks.

His works are included in many important public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, both in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The Studio Museum in Harlem, among others.