Bennett College in Greensboro plans to sell a painting worth millions to fund a women’s health initiative.
Aaron Douglas, a prominent artist in the Harlem Renaissance, created the painting titled “Harriet Tubman” for the historically Black women’s college in 1931.
Bennett College will partner with New York auction house Sotheby’s to sell the work. It’s estimated to garner $2.5 to $3.5 million.
Officials will use the money for an initiative advancing health equity.
Cassandra Jones Havard, the chair of Bennett’s board of trustees, says the sale will help support a vibrant future for the school and its students.
The artwork depicts Harriet Tubman, an iconic abolitionist, breaking the shackles of bondage. The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh has kept the painting on loan since the early 2000s.