Internationally known artist Romare Bearden spent some years in Pittsburgh during his childhood, but grew up in New York City. As an adolescent living in Harlem, he was introduced to and strongly influenced by the musical and cultural innovations of jazz. This influence later emerged in Bearden’s paintings as a form of visual orchestration of the many pieces and styles to which he had been exposed in his youth. In the early 1950’s, Bearden lived in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne, where he met and worked with important European artists.

Bearden’s mural “Pittsburgh Recollections”, sixty feet long and thirteen feet high, depicts Pittsburgh’s social and cultural history and spans the wall behind the platform in Gateway Station. Located across the LRT track, the wall is the focal point of the platform level of the station.

The mural is fabricated of 780 ceramic tiles, each 12 inches by 12 inches fired clay tiles was applied with glazes in the colors and patterns of Bearden’s design. Originally located in the previous Gateway Center Station, this mural was taken off the wall through a length process and adhered to aluminum backing that hangs on a cleat system here in its new location.

Internationally known artist Romare Bearden spent some years in Pittsburgh during his childhood, but grew up in New York City. As an adolescent living in Harlem, he was introduced to and strongly influenced by the musical and cultural innovations of jazz. This influence later emerged in Bearden’s paintings as a form of visual orchestration of the many pieces and styles to which he had been exposed in his youth. In the early 1950’s, Bearden lived in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne, where he met and worked with important European artists.

Bearden’s mural “Pittsburgh Recollections”, sixty feet long and thirteen feet high, depicts Pittsburgh’s social and cultural history and spans the wall behind the platform in Gateway Station. Located across the LRT track, the wall is the focal point of the platform level of the station.

The mural is fabricated of 780 ceramic tiles, each 12 inches by 12 inches fired clay tiles was applied with glazes in the colors and patterns of Bearden’s design. Originally located in the previous Gateway Center Station, this mural was taken off the wall through a length process and adhered to aluminum backing that hangs on a cleat system here in its new location.

Romare Bearden Foundation Website: https://beardenfoundation.org/art/