One of the 20th century’s most impactful American artists, Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000) is celebrated for his deftness as a visual storyteller. From serial elaborations of landmark events in American history, to genre scenes that capture the value of community, he perfected the devices of narrative and figuration at a time when abstraction dominated.

This focused exhibition brings together works by Lawrence from SAM’s and local collections in a series of case studies that survey the essential themes—family, community, history, human rights—that inform the artist’s works.