KANSAS CITY, MO.- A Charles White painting, Goodnight Irene, that once belonged to Harry Belafonte, has been acquired for the permanent American collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The funding for the painting, a moving portrait of famed guitarist Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, was made possible by a long list of donors after a lead gift from Sarah and Landon Rowland through the Ever Glades Fund.

“The acquisition of Goodnight Irene begins to highlight the Nelson-Atkins’ seminal works of African American art,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell CEO & Director of the Nelson-Atkins. “As a key painting depicting a notable African American musician, Goodnight Irene contributes to the diversity of the museum’s collection. When curator Stephanie Fox Knappe first brought the painting to our attention, I realized it had the potential to resonate with the museum’s mission to nurture excellence, inspire creativity, and build community through the power of art.”

Born in Chicago on April 2, 1918, and raised on that city’s south side, Charles White became one of America’s renowned Social Realist artists. In 1937, White was awarded a scholarship to attend the School of the Art Institute fulltime. After he completed two years, he joined the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as an easel painter and was later transferred to the mural painting division. There, he had the opportunity to work with many artists who had painted alongside the great Mexican muralists. White started to shift his style from monumental historical themes to more humanistic portraits of everyday people in contemporary situations. Although White also began to pay more attention to the human figure and sensitive draftsmanship, his figures remained quite angular and stylized.

By the late 1940s and 1950s, even though White’s art had received acclaim, the style that he embraced— social realism—appeared outdated. His dedication to his calling as a social realist put him at odds with contemporary trends. Despite the recognition it might have cost him, White consciously chose not to abandon social realism, or his African American subjects, for non-objective abstract expressionism. He insisted on honoring a deeply felt desire that his art reflect the plight of African Americans. He also held the belief that art should be accessible to all. In this era dominated by abstraction and largely devoid of figural compositions, White gave a new beauty and dignity to his social realist subjects. He still depicted working men and women on a grand scale and with intensity, but he rendered them in a more distinctly individualized manner without the sharp angles or distortion that characterized his earlier murals, easel paintings, drawings, and prints. He treated his figures as bold, fully articulated, rounded forms, often of heroic proportions.

White painted his engaging portrait of Lead Belly while the musician was still in his prime, but instead of a suit and tie, he wears an open-collared shirt and suspenders, a style consistent with a common laborer. His guitar provides simple accompaniment as he expectantly sings, “Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene, I’ll get you in my dreams.” Rather than paint Lead Belly surrounded by admirers, White presents him performing for an adoring audience of one. Although solidly painted, the woman with eyes closed in reverie who intimately rests her head near the singer’s own might not really even be there. She could simply be a figment–the elusive Irene conjured by the singer’s longing lyrics.

The legendary performer and activist Harry Belafonte, who acquired Goodnight Irene directly from White, demonstrated his commitment to sharing White’s art with a wide audience through his selection of the painting as the cover image for his groundbreaking multi-CD anthology of African American music, The Long Road to Freedom. Belafonte was a friend of White’s who shared his commitment to fighting social injustice, collected a number of his pieces, and even modeled for the artist.

Knappe, who was recently promoted to be the museum’s Samuel Sosland Curator, American Art, gathered community support to acquire Goodnight Irene by bringing potential donors to take a look at the painting as it hung, off view, in the Painting Conservation office. Goodnight Irene is Knappe’s first major acquisition for the Nelson-Atkins.

“That this truly exciting and historically descriptive painting enters the collection with the guidance of a curator supported by our family makes this an especially gratifying event in our happy history with the Nelson-Atkins,” said Morton Sosland.

“The remarkable campaign to make possible the purchase of Good Night Irene brought together an extraordinary group of people; those who care deeply about the museum, and those who have traditionally supported the American Art department, many who have contributed to the purchase of a work of art for the first time, many who are just learning about the collection and its significance to the Kansas City community,” said Sarah Rowland, who along with her husband, Landon, established the Ever Glades Fund. “The work appeals on many levels as it is both literary and meditative, a palette of deep color and muscularity, and we believe it will generate renewed enthusiasm for American Art. We are greatly indebted those many who contributed to its purchase, and we are all especially indebted to Stephanie Knappe. Her tireless efforts and enthusiasm have resulted in a truly significant addition to the museum’s collection.”

Once this major funding was secured, individual donors were joined by corporations and community foundations to rally support in acquiring Goodnight Irene.

“I’m so proud of the unprecedented community response to the initiative in acquiring this joyous painting,” said Dr. Loretta Britton, a member of the museum’s Committee on Collections who promptly wrote a check when the painting was first shown. “This is truly one of the most remarkable paintings to come before our committee, and I hoped my check would spark enthusiasm because I knew it would take a village to purchase Goodnight Irene.”

The donor list began to grow organically, with word of mouth spreading through the community as more and more people asked to see the painting.

“Sprint is delighted to have the opportunity to provide corporate leadership in the acquisition of this American treasure,” said Debby Ballard, Director, Corporate Responsibility – Community Affairs. “At Sprint, we feel a responsibility to raise awareness of corporate philanthropy to provide opportunities like this to enrich the community.”

Goodnight Irene also captured the attention of students applying for a Mellon Fellowship at the Nelson-Atkins; several commented on the painting in their applications.

“Being able to see Goodnight Irene couldn’t have come at a better time for me,” wrote Issac Logsdon, Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellow. “Prior to this preview in the conservation lab, I had many reservations about the ability for change in large institutions. However, the excitement shown by Stephanie for this future acquisition, which I think will be a monumental addition to the American Art collection, changed my mind. This experience with Stephanie has made me realize that a museum can be a site of social and political change.”

“Another rewarding experience from the Summer Academy was when Dr. Stephanie Knappe took us to see a Charles White painting that is in the process of being acquired by the museum,” wrote Myles Cheadle, Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellow. “I am a great admirer of Charles White’s artwork and practice. I am thrilled to see the museum acquire more African American artworks especially from an artist I so admire.”

More than 50 individuals and organizations donated to make the acquisition possible. The Nelson- Atkins accessions nearly 1,000 works of art each year across all disciplines, including Photography, Sculpture, Contemporary, European, Chinese, Ancient, and American art.