Edna Manley

Edna Manley

 Edna Manley (1900-1987) was a highly accomplished artist who played a leading role in the development of contemporary art in Jamaica.

She was born to a Jamaican mother, British father and grew up in England, where she received formal training in fine art. 

There she also met and married Norman Manley, Jamaica’s first premier and national hero.  In the early to mid-1900s Edna Manley was actively involved in nurturing fine art in Jamaica. 

As part of that effort Manley taught art classes and helped to establish the Jamaica School of Art and Crafts (1950) through which she influenced later generations of artists.

Manley’s career was marked by a series of phases, each representing stages in the development of her life and that of Jamaica. 

Edna Manley was famously quoted as saying “I carve as a Jamaican for Jamaica; trying to understand our problems and living near to the heart of our people.”  The images in this blog illustrate Manley’s evolution in art: Bead seller (1922) Pocomania (1936), Prophet (1930s), Market Women (1936), Black Moses (1965), Mountain Women (1971), The Land (1970s) Mother caring for young (1970s), Negro Aroused (1934).
 

For further information on Edna Manley: http://ednamanleyfoundation.org/edna-manley/

Also visit our art gallery:  https://www.experiencejamaique.com/product_gallery

June 2017