Benjamin Britt (1923 - 1996)

Avernus, c. 1960s, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 20 x 16 inches, signed and titled verso

$5250

Benjamin Brit was a Black American painter and printmaker who worked in an eclectic array of styles that included Realism, Cubism, Surrealism, Minimalism and, as in the case of the present work, Magic Realism. Britt confessed that his work was hard to classify, and he did not want “to be pinned down.”

The likely point of departure for the present work was the ruins of the Temples of Apollo and Jupiter at Avernus in Campania, just to the west of Naples, Italy. According to ancient tradition, the volcanic crater at Avernus is the gateway to the underworld. Famed by Virgil in the Aeneid, Avernus was viewed by the Ancients as a divine being. Rather than mimetically portraying the ruined temples, Britt stylizes the forms and presents them in a stark, pristine environment where the temple wall separates two worlds, with shafts of light penetrating from one side to the other. Barely visible mask-like faces appear on the surface of the wall while a mysterious moon shines down on a single trompe l'oeil marble which rests in the foreground. Britt leaves us wondering which side is the world and which is the underworld.

Born in Windfall, North Carolina, Britt’s early childhood was spent in his home state until a fatal confrontation between his father and his father’s white employer caused the family to flee to Philadelphia. Britt studied commercial art at Dobbins Technical High School in North Philadelphia. After serving in the Coast Guard for several years, Britt furthered his studies at Hussian School of Art, the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and finally the Art Students League in New York City. In addition to teaching art and working as a commercial artist, Britt sometimes worked as a machinist and taxi driver.

Britt exhibited extensively during his long career, winning many prizes during the 1950s through the 1970s. His paintings were often selected for exhibition, including at Atlanta University’s Annual Exhibition of Paintings, Sculpture, and Prints by Negro Artists, a series that had been inaugurated by Hale Woodruff. Britt’s work was included in shows at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Woodmere Art Museum and the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, all in Philadelphia. He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art and all other standard references.