This drawing depicts three women in three different postures: full frontal, profile and rear facing. Cortor's hatchmark style of lines not only gives the figures' skin texture but provides a sense of depth to the drawing. This sense of directionality, depth and perspective is further enhanced by the artist's placement of each figure — one in the foreground, one in the middle and one in the background. Many of Cortor's paintings typically feature elongated nude figures in private settings with references to traditional African art and Surrealism.

Norman Lewis is considered the first major African American Abstract Expressionist. Lewis grew up in Harlem and was actively involved in the Black Arts Movement in New York during the mid-20th century; he was a member of the 306 Group as well as the Spiral Collective with fellow African American artists and writers. His early works of the 1930s and '40s were predominately focused on presenting the lives of the black families and workers surrounding him.

Richard Hunt is an acclaimed and prolific sculptor best known for his commissioned public sculptures found in numerous American cities. His work embodies classical ideals and traditions in a unique style of abstraction that combines both industrial and organic elements.

In her sculptures, prints and painting, artist Margaret Burroughs focused on the themes of family, community and history. These concepts were also consistent with her work as a writer and prominent social activist in Chicago. In her watercolor, "Girl Seated," Burroughs presents an intimate scene of a young girl seated, poised and directly confronting viewers with her gaze. While the girl's figure appears solid and clearly defined, Burroughs uses a pale palette of greens, yellows and blues to convey the serene, quiet mood of the scene.

Mary Edmonia Lewis is considered the first African American to gain an international reputation as a sculptor. After attending Oberlin College, Lewis trained with the sculptor Edward Brackett in Boston in mid-1800s. Many of her earlier marble sculptures depicted noted abolitionists and Civil War heroes. The Wooing of Hiawatha depicts another popular subject of the day: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s love poem The Song of Hiawatha.

Richard Hunt is an acclaimed and prolific sculptor best known for his commissioned public sculptures found in numerous American cities. His work embodies classical ideals and traditions in a unique style of abstraction that combines both industrial and organic elements.

Throughout his career, Richmond Barthé was interested in the movement and stance of the body. He studied the Martha Graham technique of dance in an effort to more fully understand the impact of gestures and pose while creating his sculptures. After completing his studies at the Art Institute of Chicago, Barthé moved to Harlem where he initially began his career as a painter. He soon transitioned into sculpture with the hope of transforming the three-dimensional aspects of his painted works.

Based on biblical texts and his own memory of the Sunday sermons of the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr. at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, Jacob Lawrence's "Genesis Creation Sermon" series delivers a richly personal interpretation. Inspired by realism and details of iconography, Lawrence's "Genesis Creation Sermon" series also reveals his interest in references from art history. The bright colors and expressive, monumental preacher figure that stands central in each work reflect the artist's affinity for action and resonance given in the sermon.

During William A. Harper's brief life, he focused his artistic pursuits on representations of the landscape around him, from France, where he studied and lived for part of his life, to Mexico, where he died. He portrayed scenes ranging from fields, hillsides and seascapes to built structures such as terraces, patios and staircases. In "Staircase," Harper uses cool tones as well as impasto brushwork and scumbling to delineate sleek steps, aging walls and winding vines.

"Seated Figure" embodies many of the styles and media Charles Alston experimented with during his acclaimed career. An illustrator, muralist, painter, sculptor and educator, Alston was an important contributor to the art of the Harlem Renaissance, and his social activism also informed his artistic practice. While perhaps best known for his figurative works, Alston also championed abstraction. "Seated Figure" showcases Alston's explorations in form and dimensionality, particularly in relation to Cubism and his ability to optimize tonality within a monochromatic palette.