Romare Bearden.

Plagens, Peter

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Everybody knows Romare Bearden's collages, but even those who delight in his trademark crisp edges, bang-on color, and iconographic witticisms might not be familiar with the man's sculpture, album-cover designs, stage sets, and costumes. It's fitting, then, that the National Gallery should put together the most encyclopedic exhibition of his work ever. Oh yes, Bearden is an African-American artist; to mention that is both essential (his art constitutes one of the great chronicles of African-American life) and irrelevant (artistically the competition runs to Giotto, Cezanne, and Japanese prints). Sept. 14-Jan. 4; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Feb. 7, 2004-May 16, 2004; Dallas Museum of Art, June 20, 2004-Sept. 12, 2004; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Oct. 14, 2004-Jan 9, 2005; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Jan. 29, 2005-Apr. 24, 2005.