NEW YORK, NY.- The first publication to focus on a rarely seen series of jazz-infused collages that explore the African American experience and the artist’s lifelong relationship to jazz music, by one of the most important and influential visual artists of the twentieth century.

Bearden (1911–1988) was a prominent African American artist often described as the consummate jazz painter, known for his innovative collages that explored themes of Black American culture, history, and personal experiences. This publication reexamines Bearden’s life and work in the context of jazz, tracing the musician’s impact from the artists’ earliest oil paintings to his iconic collages.

In 1981, Bearden created nineteen collages that the artist called his “Paris Blues,” or simply “Jazz,” series. Conceived as pages for an oversized book that would be a response to the Hollywood movie Paris Blues (1961)—though featuring Harlem and New Orleans along with Paris—the series has been little known until now. Here the wildly colorful illustrations are set alongside Bearden’s encounters with iconic jazz musicians, clubs, and cities. Examined for the first time in depth, the Paris Blues series makes a major statement on the relationships between visual art, jazz music, and urban spaces. The book also includes poignant photographs of Bearden and musicians in the 1950s–70s, such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

The Author

Robert G. O'Meally is Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English at Columbia University and founding director of Columbia's Center for Jazz Studies. Mickalene Thomas is a New York–based artist known for her mixed-media paintings, particularly portraits of Black women, often incorporating rhinestones, glitter, and other nontraditional materials, which challenge conventional notions of beauty and identity.

Reviews

"'Romare Bearden, Paris Blues: Painting Jazz” (Rizzoli; March 2026) presents Bearden's Paris Blues series of 19 jazz-infused collages created in 1981 and originally conceived of as a book project. The text is authored by jazz scholar Robert O'Meally.The book dives into the history of this unique series, as well as re-examining Bearden's life and work through his engagement with jazz. A deep engagement. Bearden’s passion for jazz music inspired him to write jazz songs. A few were even recorded.Conceived as pages for an oversized book responding to the film Paris Blues (1961), the series reimagines the jazz world of Harlem, New Orleans, and Paris through Bearden’s distinctive figurative collages.The book traces music’s influence from Bearden’s early oil paintings to his iconic collages. Long overlooked, the Paris Blues series emerges here as a vital expression of Bearden’s lifelong engagement with jazz and the African American experience, offering fresh insight into one of the most influential artists of the 20th century." — FORBES LIFE