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Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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Digital Archive Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980
Art Samella Lewis, Family
Family, by Samella Lewis, 1967

Samella Lewis, Artist
Family , 1967

Medium
Linocut on rice paper, Edition 8/25
Dimensions
15 3/8 x 15 5/8 in. (39.1 x 39.7 cm)
Credit Line
Oakland Museum of California, The Oakland Museum Founders Fund. Photo by Ed Glendinning, courtesy of Oakland Museum

Samella Lewis is a prominent figure within the Southern California art community. The first black woman to earn a joint PhD in art history and studio art (1951), she has made monumental scholarly contributions to the field, founding galleries, a museum, and the journal Black Art and writing books on the subject of African American artists. She also taught for many years at Scripps College. Lewis's art has been documented much less than her work as an art historian and curator. Now Dig This! features several of her works. Family, an abstract composition, shows three shapely vertical forms that resemble plant leaves sprouting from the earth. By using only two colors, black and white, Lewis underscores the graceful forms and bold outlines of the shapes.