the summer of 1924. This oil predates his time spent at Hugh Breckenridge’s art school in
Gloucester, and a two-year study at the Barnes Foundation from 1927-1929.
Raised in a middle-class family in Philadelphia, in 1912,Allan Freelon was the first African-American
awarded a four-year scholarship to the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. He then
received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his MFA from Temple University. During
World War I, Freelon joined the U.S. Army, serving as Second Lieutenant. Upon his return to
Philadelphia, he worked as the Art Supervisor for the Philadelphia Board of Education, while also
creating his own artwork. By 1921, he had his first solo show at the 135th Street branch of the New
York Public Library, and in 1929, he was one of the featured artists in the Harmon Foundation
traveling exhibition.
[20,000/30,000]
