Goodnight Irene

Artist Charles Wilbert White (American, 1918 - 1979)

Date1952

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 47 × 24 inches (119.38 × 60.96 cm)
Framed: 58 7/16 × 35 1/2 × 2 inches (148.43 × 90.17 × 5.08 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: acquired through a lead gift provided by Sarah and Landon Rowland through The Ever Glades Fund; major support provided by Lee Lyon, in memory of Joanne Lyon; Sprint; James and Elizabeth Tinsman; Neil D. Karbank; and The Sosland Family; Generous support provided by John and Joanne Bluford; The Stanley H. Durwood Foundation; Gregory M. Glore; Maurice Watson; Anne and Cliff Gall; Dr. Sere and Mrs. MaryJane Myers and Family; Gary and Debby Ballard; Dr. Loretta M. Britton; Catherine L. Futter, in memory of Mathew and Erna Futter; Jean and Moulton Green, Jr., in honor of Rose Bryant; Dr. Willie and Ms. Sandra A. J. Lawrence; Randall and Helen Ferguson; Dr. Valerie E. Chow and Judge Jon R. Gray (Ret.); Gwendolyn J. Cooke, Ph.D.; Dwayne and Freida Crompton; Leodis and N. June Davis; Kimberly C. Young; Tom and Karenbeth Zacharias; Jim Baggett and Marguerite Ermeling; Rose Bryant; Tasha and Julián Zugazagoitia; Antonia Boström and Dean Baker; Sarah Beeks Higdon; Kathleen and Kevin Collison; Katelyn Crawford and John Kupstas; Kimberly Hinkle and Jason Menefee; Stephanie and Brett Knappe; Jan and Michael Schall; and Michele Valentine, in memory of Marcella Hillerman.

Object number2014.28

SignedSigned in oil on recto, lower right: CHARLES • WHITE

InscribedInscription in graphite across the planed down upper member of the original frame attached to the verso of the upper member of the current frame: GOODNIGHT • IRENE / BY • CHARLES • WHITE ’53; Stamped in black ink on the lower left of the planed down member of the original frame attached to the verso of the upper member of the current frame: ROKO GALLERY & FRAMES / 51 GREENWICH AVE. / NEW YORK 14, N.Y.; Inscription possibly in white chalk at the center of the planed down member of the original frame attached to the verso of the upper member of the current frame: ACA

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

American Art

Terms

DescriptionThis large, vertically-oriented painting is filled with the image of an African American man (Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter) seated in a chair, wearing blue pants, a white shirt, and yellow suspenders. His pants extend to the middle of his calves, the collar of his shirt is undone, and his physical features are stylized and somewhat exaggerated. He picks a guitar (which extends beyond the right edge of the canvas) and sings “Goodnight Irene,” while an African American woman with closed eyes rests her arms and head on the top of the chair back, appearing to graze his right shoulder. Though her head and shoulders lean on the chair, no portion of the rest of her body is visible. The man’s bare feet almost touch a blue, pink, and orange rug with a swirling pattern and pink stripe that extends into the picture from the lower right corner of the canvas. The scene transpires in a nondescript but luminously painted room. Boards suggesting a hard wood floor extend into the space from the lower left corner of the canvas. The variegated rear wall (painted with white, pink, blue, yellow, and brown tones) has some distinguishable but rough quadrilateral shapes. The corner made by the two pictured walls and a small slice of ceiling is visible in the upper right of the canvas. This painting glows with light, which appears to come from a source beyond the frame.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

ACA Gallery, New York, February 9–29, 1953.

Gallery Label

Performing for an intimate audience of one, Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter plays Goodnight Irene, his signature ballad. While he sings about the emotional toll of unrequited love, his companion closes her eyes and rests her head near his. Although the woman’s face and arms are solidly rendered, there is no evidence of the rest of her body. Is she simply a figment? Is she the elusive Irene conjured by Lead Belly’s longing lyrics: “Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene, I’ll get you in my dreams?”

Charles Wilbert White created this portrait three years after the legendary musician’s death. He painted Lead Belly in his prime playing a popular late-1800s folk song that he was the first to record in 1933. In addition to celebrating an icon of American music, Goodnight Irene is a key example of White’s socially conscious art. White aimed to affirm the humanity and beauty of African Americans throughout his career. Goodnight Irene highlights the artist’s ability to invest his subjects with steadfast dignity and universal resonance.

Provenance

The artist;

to Harry Belafonte, New York, by 1967;

to (Jonathan Boos, LLC, New York), 2007;

to NAMA, 2014.

Published References

“Charles White’s Humanist Art,” Masses and Mainstream 6, no. 1 (1953): 45.

Sidney Finkelstein, Charles White: Ein Künstler Amerikas (Dresden, Germany: Veb Verlag der Kunst, 1955), 37–39, 66, plate 20 (as Gute Nacht, Irene).

Benjamin Horowitz, Images of Dignity: The Drawings of Charles White (Los Angeles, CA: Ward Ritchie Press, 1967), 50, 52 (as Song).

“The Drawings of Charles White: Images of Dignity,” Negro Digest 16, no. 8 (June 1967): 43 (as Song).

Romare Bearden and Harry Henderson, A History of African-American Artists from 1792 to the Present (New York: Pantheon Books, 1993), 410 (as Good Night Irene).

Harry Belafonte, ed., The Long Road to Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music (New York: Buddha Records, distributed by BMG, 2001), cover.

John C. Cothran, A Search of African American Life, Achievement and Culture (Carollton, TX: Stardate Publishing Company, 2006), 51.

Guy Trebay, “On Any Given Night Out,” New York Times, January 29, 2014: E1 (repro.).

“Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Charles White Acquisition Celebrates Community Involvement,” Black Art in America, September 16, 2014, http://blackartinamerica.com/profiles/blogs/nelson-adkins-museum-s-charles-white-acquisition-celebrates-commu (repro.).

“Museum acquires painting of Lead Belly,” Midtown KC Post, September 16, 2014, http://midtownkcpost.com/museum-acquires-painting-lead-belly/ (repro.).

“Celebrating Generosity: Charles White Acquisition is Community Effort,” Member Magazine (Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art), Fall-Winter 2015, 20.

Daniel Grant, “New on the Walls: With the Economy Improving, Museums Go on a Buying Spree,” New York Observer, February 2, 2015, 33-34.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.