Posters
Black History ➔ Poster, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Identifier:
146280Current Location Status:
In StorageSource:
Gift Of Collins, PaulRelated Entities:
Schulke, Flip (creator) Paul Collins (donor)Paul Collins is a self-taught realist painter whose career spans more than six decades. Born in Muskegon, Michigan, he moved to Grand Rapids at a young age and started painting as a child. Experiencing the harsh reality of racism as a young, African American/Indian European child during these transformative years inspired him to draw attention to social injustices through his art.
Collins rose to prominence as an artist in the 1960s, with works inspired by his travels to Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. His paintings were exhibited nationally and internationally in institutions such as John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Key West Museum, National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana, Kawara Museum in Japan and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Significant works included creating the 1975 mural of President Gerald Ford for the airport in Grand Rapids and designing the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize Medal, the highest award given by the King Center that was commissioned by Coretta Scott King (the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.)
