Romare Bearden
American, 1914­1988
The Return of Odysseus (Homage to 
Pintoricchio and Benin)
1977
Collage on hardboard
112 x 142 cm
Mary and Leigh Block Fund for Acquisitions, 1977.127
© Estate of Romare Bearden

The Greek hero Odysseus fought for ten years in the Trojan war and then spent ten more adventurous years returning home. His faithful wife Penelope tricked the men who wanted to marry her by saying that she first had to finish the weaving on her loom. But every night, she secretly unraveled what she had woven that day.

Bearden was an African-American artist. He created a series of collages about the Greek warrior, and here he shows Odysseus upon his return, greeting his wife as she sits at her loom. In Bearden’s collage, Odysseus is dressed as a king of ancient Benin in West Africa.