Diattaart Blog

Frederick Jones Jr. was an African American artist renown for his vibrant figure paintings. Frederick D. Jones Jr. was born in Georgetown, South Carolina in the year 1914. For his artistic education Jones attended Moorehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He also attended Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University. Jones is associated with the Social Realism movement popular during the times of the Works Progress Administration. His father was a pharmacist and owned his own store.

Eventually Jones would relocate to Chicago. He was working for a Coca Cola company and some owners and managers saw his work and took a shine to his personality. It was arranged for the artist to move to Chicago, and to attend the Art Institute of Chicago and have Coca Cola company pick up the bill.

Atlanta was seen as the new South and many African American owned business were thriving. The race problem wasn’t as big an issue as in other locations in the South.

price range information: Sorry none available.

In 1930 Jones was able to sell his first painting. He made $25 on the project and was thrilled. He received this great mentoring whilst still in high school.

Another report I saw listed 1913 and Raleigh, North Carolina for a birthdate.

Jones spent much of his career based out of Chicago and painted the legendary jazz musicians of the time including Louis Armstrong.

Frederick Jones Jr. passed away in 2004 at the age of 89 years old.

The artist was great friends with painter Hughie Lee Smith, also an African American painter working in a Surrealist manner.

D