A great, forgotten painting by African-American artist Cleo Crawford executed in 1938. Crawford lived in Haverstraw, New York. He unfortunately passed away shortly after his work was included in a Sidney Janis show and later the book “They Taught Themselves” in 1942. It also appears in Herbert Hemphill’s “Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists” in 1974. The other day I saw an eBay seller offering “Giclee print on canvas” reproductions! Ugh. My guess is that this was never approved by the legitimate owner.
Cleo Crawford “Christmas” oil 28 x 40 1/2” Sidney and Harriet Janis collection, Museum of Modern Art
