Bearden, Romare, BIHR duhn, roh MAIR (1911-1988), was an African American artist whose work realistically portrays the urban and rural life of African Americans. Bearden's works explore many aspects of African American culture, including music, religion, home life, and street scenes. He did his best-known work in large-scale collage (see Collage). Bearden used pieces of paper, magazine cutouts, and photographic images and combined them in unique compositions.