Samella Lewis — Family (1972)
Samella Lewis — Family (1972)
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Original 1972 Contemporary Crafts offset lithograph from the Samella Lewis Publishing Archive.
Ships securely in a protective package. Certificate of Authenticity included.
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Why This Work Matters
Published by Contemporary Crafts in 1972, this original offset lithograph reproduces Dr. Samella Lewis's 1966 painting Family. Executed with a restrained palette, flattened forms, and a carefully structured composition, the work exemplifies Lewis's mature approach to figurative painting during a formative period of her artistic career.
Issued under Lewis's direction through Contemporary Crafts, this edition reflects her belief that fine art publishing could serve as both a scholarly and cultural endeavor. More than five decades later, it stands as an enduring record of her work as both an artist and one of America's pioneering artist-publishers.
Provenance & Publication
Publication Year
1972
Copyright
© Multi-Cultural Productions, Los Angeles, California
Publisher
Contemporary Crafts, Inc.
Published under the authority of
Dr. Samella Lewis
Source Archive
Offered directly from the Samella Lewis Publishing Archive.
Published in 1972, this original Contemporary Crafts offset lithograph remains part of the historic Samella Lewis Publishing Archive and documents an important chapter in Dr. Samella Lewis's publishing legacy, preserving both her own artwork and her broader vision for expanding access to African American art through fine art publishing.
Publication History
Published in 1972, this original Contemporary Crafts offset lithograph reproduces Dr. Samella Lewis's 1966 oil painting Family. The published edition identifies the original work as measuring 30 × 36 inches and records it as belonging to the collection of Zelma Douglas.
Produced during the early years of Contemporary Crafts, this edition demonstrates the organization's commitment to publishing museum-quality reproductions of significant works by African American artists. Today, original archive examples remain increasingly uncommon as they continue to enter private, institutional, and museum collections.
About the Artist
Dr. Samella Lewis (1923–2022) was an artist, art historian, educator, curator, author, and publisher whose scholarship and leadership fundamentally shaped the field of African American art history.
Alongside her distinguished career as a painter and printmaker, Lewis founded Contemporary Crafts, co-founded the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles, authored numerous books and scholarly publications, and dedicated her life to documenting, preserving, and promoting the work of African American artists. Her paintings, prints, and publications continue to influence artists, scholars, and museums throughout the United States.
About the Publisher
Founded under the leadership of Dr. Samella Lewis, Contemporary Crafts became the earliest African American-owned fine art publishing houses in the United States.
Through carefully produced offset lithographs, the organization published works by many of the twentieth century's most significant artists while helping preserve and circulate images that might otherwise have remained inaccessible to collectors, educators, and institutions.
Today, the Samella Lewis Publishing Archive continues that legacy by offering original historic publications directly from the archive.
Product Details
Artist: Dr. Samella Lewis
Title: Family
Original Artwork: 1966
Original Medium: Oil
Original Artwork Dimensions: 30 × 36 inches
Medium: Original 1972 Contemporary Crafts offset lithograph
Publisher: Contemporary Crafts, Inc.
Copyright: © Multi-Cultural Productions, Los Angeles, California
Published: 1972
Print Dimensions: 14 × 18 inches
Condition: Vintage archive condition. Some impressions may exhibit signs of age or handling consistent with long-term archival storage.
Framing: Unframed
Documentation: Certificate of Authenticity included.
Availability
Offered directly from the Samella Lewis Publishing Archive.
As original archive impressions are acquired by collectors, museums, and institutions, the number remaining within the archive continues to decline. Availability is therefore limited to the remaining original impressions preserved by the archive.
Shipping & Care
Each impression is individually inspected before shipment and carefully packaged to museum standards.
Your print ships securely in a protective package and includes a Certificate of Authenticity issued by the Samella Lewis Publishing Archive.
Shipping timelines and return information are provided at checkout.