Benjamin Britt (1923 – 1996)

Abstract (Untitled), c. 1950s, oil on Masonite, signed lower left, 14 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches, presented in its original frame

$3,750

Benjamin Brit was a Black American painter and printmaker who worked in an eclectic array of styles that included Realism, Cubism, Surrealism, Minimalism and, as in the case of the present work, a Futurist-inspired form of Abstraction. Britt confessed that his work was hard to classify, and he did not want “to be pinned down.”

Born in Windfall, North Carolina, Britt’s early childhood was spent in his home state until a fatal confrontation between his father and his father’s white employer caused the family to flee to Philadelphia. Britt studied commercial art at Dobbins Technical High School in North Philadelphia. After serving in the Coast Guard for several years, Britt furthered his studies at Hussian School of Art, the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and finally the Art Students League in New York City. In addition to teaching art and working as a commercial artist, Britt sometimes worked as a machinist and taxi driver.

Britt exhibited extensively during his long career, winning many prizes during the 1950s through the 1970s. His paintings were often selected for exhibition, including at Atlanta University’s Annual Exhibition of Paintings, Sculpture, and Prints by Negro Artists, a series that had been inaugurated by Hale Woodruff. Britt’s work was included in shows at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Woodmere Art Museum and the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, all in Philadelphia. He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art and all other standard references.