"In November 1977, the 'New Yorker' published a feature-length biography of artist Romare Bearden by Calvin Tomkins as part of its Profiles series. The essay, titled 'Profiles: Putting Something Over Something Else' (using Bearden's words to describe the creative process), brought national focus to the artist, whose rise had seemed nearly meteoric since the late 1960s. The experience of the interview prompted Bearden to launch an autobiographical collection he called 'Profiles'. He sequenced the project in two parts: 'Part I, The Twenties,' which featured memories from his youth in the South and in Pittsburgh, and 'Part II, The Thirties,' about his early adult life in New York. Bearden collaborated with friend and writer Albert Murray on a short statement to accompany each piece. These appeared scripted onto the walls of the 'Profile' exhibition to lead viewers on a visual and poetic journey. This landmark publication reassembles and reconsiders Bearden's 'Profile' series. Beyond providing the opportunity to explore and understudied body of work, the project investigates the roles of narrative and self-presentation for an artist who made a career of creating works based on memory and experience.

It also reveals Bearden's own gestures away from the autobiographical and toward a broader view."--.