Accession Number
1997/1.530

Title
Champions

Artist(s)
Jacob Lawrence

Object Creation Date
1953

Medium & Support
tempera over black colored pencil on wood board

Dimensions
19 13/16 in x 24 in (50.32 cm x 60.96 cm);18 1/8 in x 9 3/8 in (46.04 cm x 23.81 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. James and Vivian Curtis

Subject matter
Jacob Lawrence drew upon his surroundings in Harlem, NY for influence and inspiration. His work often contains people in the African American community and their struggles, dreams and triumphs. “Champions” depicts a portrait of an African American basketball team resplendent with their five trophies. The schematic designs, flat space, angular figures, and fragmented, highly patterned surfaces of this piece are typical of his style.

Physical Description
Eight male figures (three kneeling in front and five standing in back) wearing orange tank tops and white shorts face the viewer; two basketballs and five trophies between figures in the foreground. Figures stand in front of a background of fragmented, arched and circular areas of color in blues and golds.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
abstract

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Abstract (fine arts style)
African American
Figures
abstraction
airplanes
basketball
basketball (court ball games)
basketballs (balls)
figures (representations)
groups
kneeling
modern and contemporary art
standing
trophies (objects)
trophy