| Timeline |
| 1912 |
Born 2 September in Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 1924 |
Family moves to New York City |
| 1925 |
Moves to Pittsburgh |
| 1935 |
Graduates from New York University with a degree in mathematics |
| 1936 |
Studies with George Grosz at the Art Students League |
| 1938 |
Employed intermittently as a case worker for the Department of Social Services until 1966 |
| 1940 |
Establishes his first studio in Harlem, at 306 West 125th Street |
| 1941 |
Joins the "306" group, becomes a member of the Harlem Artists Guild |
| 1942 |
Serves in the army for three years |
| 1950 |
Studies philosophy and painting in Paris at the Sorbonne until 1954 |
| 1954 |
Marries Nanette Rohan |
| 1954 |
Returns to New York |
| 1988 |
Awarded President's National Medal of Art |
| 1988 |
Dies 12 March |
