A historic painting of Harriet Tubman, commissioned to inspire generations of young Black women, is heading to auction. The proceeds are expected to help secure the future of the historically Black college that has considered the artwork part of its legacy for nearly a century.
Bennett College plans to sell Aaron Douglas’ 1931 painting, which is estimated to fetch between $2.5 million and $3.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on Nov. 18, according to WFAE. The decision highlights the financial pressures facing historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as they weigh preserving Black cultural heritage against the need to fund their institutions and support students.
Supporting HBCUs
The painting was commissioned by Chicago philanthropist Alfred K. Stern for Bennett College, a women’s college founded in 1873 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Douglas, a prominent Harlem Renaissance artist, depicted Tubman breaking the chains of slavery and leading others to freedom.
The work also features scenes representing Black independence and self-determination, including a man cultivating his own land and a young Black woman reading…