Samuel A. Countee
{{Short description|American artist (1909–1959)}}
Samuel Albert Countee (April 1, 1909 – September 11, 1959){{Cite web |last=Pruitt |first=Bernadette |date=August 15, 2013 |title=Countee, Samuel Albert |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/countee-samuel-albert |access-date=2022-02-24 |website=Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)}}{{Cite web|title=Samuel Countee’s Paintings Continue To Inspire|url=https://www.countylinemagazine.com/arts/samuel-countee-s-paintings-continue-to-inspire/article_0b80d3d8-5761-11ea-8045-b71fbb9e8307.html|access-date=2022-02-24|website=County Line Magazine|language=en}} was an American painter and sculptor. Countee's artwork depicted African-American life. The SSG Samuel A. Countee Hall at Fort Leonard Wood is named in his honor.
Early life and education
Countee was born April 1, 1909, in Marshall, Texas to Thomas Countee and Nannie Salina Yates Countee. He attended Booker T. Washington High School in Houston from 1924 to 1928. Countee graduated in 1934 with a degree in art from Bishop College. While in college, he painted portraits of faculty and administrators to raise money for tuition.
Countee graduated from college in 1934, after which he earned a scholarship to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (now School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts) where he served as an artist-in-residence.
Career
File:Samuel Countee mural during restoration process.jpgFrom 1933 to 1935, Countee exhibited his art in a number of shows. In 1933, his piece, Little Brown Boy, was exhibited by the William E. Harmon Foundation.{{Cite web|last=Hernandez|first=Blanca|date=September 8, 2017|title=Planned, Organized and Established: Houston Artist Cooperatives in the 1930s|url=https://issuu.com/samfanewsletter/docs/final_catalog_planned_organized_est|access-date=2022-02-24|website=issuu.com|language=en}} He also exhibited at Howard University, Atlanta University, Smith College, Institute of Modern Art in Boston, and the 1936 Texas Centennial's Hall of Negro Life.{{Cite web|title=See Houston's Early Black and White Artists Exhibit in One Room for the First Time|url=https://www.houstoniamag.com/arts-and-culture/2017/08/black-and-white-artists-1930s-exhibit-houston-public-library|access-date=2022-02-24|website=Houstonia|language=en-US}}
Countee was drafted into the United States Army in 1942 where he served in the 436th Engineer General Service Dump Truck Company. While in the Army, he was commissioned to create a mural for the African-American Officers’ Club at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.{{Cite web|title=Historic Black Officers Club memorialized for WWII Soldier-artist Samuel Countee|url=https://www.army.mil/article/225693/historic_black_officers_club_memorialized_for_wwii_soldier_artist_samuel_countee|access-date=2022-02-24|website=www.army.mil|language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Fort Leonard Wood mural returns, awaiting display |url=https://www.army.mil/article/183450/fort_leonard_wood_mural_returns_awaiting_display |website=United States Army}} He also painted sets for USO shows.
Countee moved to New York after being discharged from the military. He became known among New York artists and went on to paint portraits of Lucille Armstrong, Harry Belafonte, and Marian Anderson.
Personal life
Countee settled in Long Island, New York. He married Mary Miner in 1955.
Legacy
References
External links
- [https://art.ua.edu/news/kristin-schwain-to-keynote-art-history-symposium-at-ua/attachment/countee-mural-flw-smaller-version/ Mural, SSG Samuel A. Countee Hall, Fort Leanord Wood]
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Category:African-American artists
Category:African-American painters
Category:African-American sculptors
Category:Artists from New York City
Category:Artists from New York (state)