In the Beginning by Rex Goreleigh. (Invaluable.com)
Harlem Renaissance Artist Paved the Way for Arts Education in Princeton
By Ilene Dube
It sounds like the plot of an inspirational movie.
In the early part of the 20th century, a Black man grows up in the household of a white doctor, where his mother is employed as a housemaid. The man, who is artistically gifted, is orphaned at age 15. He moves to New York to study acting, becomes involved with the Harlem Renaissance where he begins studying painting and drawing, meets muralists Diego Rivera and Ben Shahn while waiting tables, and finds himself working on New Deal projects during the Great Depression.
Fast forward, and the man goes on to exhibit in museums abroad and at home. His work is collected by the likes of Toni Morrison.
This is, in fact, the true story of Russell “Rex” Goreleigh (1902-1986), who spent nearly 40 years in Princeton making and teaching art. more