Charles White (1918–1979), one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished and innovative draftsmen, was also highly regarded as an educator and activist. His life spanned the Great Depression and the WPA era as well as the civil rights movement and the early days of feminism, movements that he not only actively participated in but also shaped. This catalog celebrates the artist’s remarkable career and legacy and the generous gift of artworks to The University of Texas from Susan G. and Edmund W. Gordon, lifelong friends of White and his wife, Frances.

In addition to essays on each of the twenty-three works of art owned by The University of Texas and an interview with Edmund Gordon and his son, Ted Gordon, the catalog includes first-person tributes to White from artists, writers, actors, activists, and students whose lives he touched, including fellow artists Margaret Burroughs and Alice Neel; singer Harry Belafonte; poet Langston Hughes; and former students David Hammons, Kent Twitchell, and Kerry James Marshall.