Bennett College to Sell Aaron Douglas Painting
The historically Black women's college will auction its 1931 "Harriet Tubman" painting at Sotheby's in New York on November 18.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in African-American
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Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, is selling Aaron Douglas's 1931 painting "Harriet Tubman" through Sotheby's, with the auction scheduled for November 18. The estimated value of the painting is $2.5 million to $3.5 million.
Why it matters
The painting has been on loan to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh for years because Bennett lacks the facilities to preserve and exhibit it. Proceeds are intended to support the college's future and its Women's Health Initiative.
The 1931 painting was commissioned by Alfred K. Stern and is estimated at $2.5 million to $3.5 million ahead of the November 18 sale. The final price will not be known until the auction takes place.
The players
Bennett College
A historically Black women's college in Greensboro, North Carolina, founded in 1873, and one of two all-women HBCUs in the country.
Sotheby's
A global auction house headquartered in New York that handles high-value fine art sales.
Aaron Douglas
An American painter associated with the Harlem Renaissance who created the 1931 painting "Harriet Tubman."
North Carolina Museum of Art
The state art museum in Raleigh that has held the painting on loan since the 2000s.
The details
Bennett College put the painting up for auction after more than two years of discussions, and it has not been displayed on the campus for nearly 20 years. The North Carolina Museum of Art has held the work on loan since the 2000s.
Timeline
1873: Bennett College is founded.
1926: Bennett College is dedicated.
1931: The painting is commissioned and created.
2000s: The painting is placed on loan to the North Carolina Museum of Art.
November 18, 2026: The painting is auctioned at Sotheby's in New York.
Cultural Legacy
Douglas's 1931 "Harriet Tubman" is a Harlem Renaissance-era work, and its sale moves the piece out of institutional custody during the period the college marks its centennial as a women's college.
Readers interested in viewing the painting before the sale will need to travel to Raleigh, where it is currently on loan, or to New York for the auction. The sale result will determine whether the work remains accessible to the public.
The takeaway
The sale shows how a historically Black institution is using a major artwork to fund its future, a decision that will be visible when the auction results are published after November 18.
What happens next
The painting is scheduled to be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on November 18, 2026.
Further reading
For more on the cultural history behind works like this, see African-American coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Root.
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