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An essential resource focused on visual art from a Black perspective, Culture Type explores the intersection of art, history, and culture

NFL Commissioned New Orleans Artist and Member of Black Masking Culture to Create Bead-Embellished Super Bowl Logo

NFL Commissioned New Orleans Artist and Member of Black Masking Culture to Create Bead-Embellished Super Bowl Logo

Queen Tahj working on the Super Bowl logo in her studio. The New Orleans artist is known for her intricate, hand-sewn beadwork. | Courtesy NFL   THE OFFICIAL ART of Super Bowl LIX is hand-crafted with beadwork. For the first time, the National Football League (NFL) commissioned an artist outside...
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New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Feature Works by Artists Felrath Hines, Henry Taylor,  Tigist Yoseph Ron, Miles Greenberg, and Barkley L. Hendricks

New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Feature Works by Artists Felrath Hines, Henry Taylor, Tigist Yoseph Ron, Miles Greenberg, and Barkley L. Hendricks

CURRENTLY ON VIEW in New York, galleries are presenting a rare look at six decades of paintings by Felrath Hines, Henry Taylor’s venture into printmaking, and the first U.S. solo exhibition of Ethiopian Jewish artist Tigist Yoseph Ron. Solo exhibitions of Barkley L. Hendricks and Miles Greenberg also on view. The shows are closing in...
Swann Single-Owner African American Art Auction Features Collection of New York Lawyer, Works Acquired Directly From Artists and Black-Owned Galleries

Swann Single-Owner African American Art Auction Features Collection of New York Lawyer, Works Acquired Directly From Artists and Black-Owned Galleries

Lot 51: SIR FRANK BOWLING, OBE RA (b. 1934), “Profile,” 2013 (acrylic on canvas with marouflage, 737 x 914 mm / 29 x 38 inches). | Estimate $50,000-$75,000. SOLD for ($32,000 Hammer Price) $40,000 fees included   WORKS BY FRANK BOWLING, Norman Lewis, Alma Thomas, Beauford Delaney, Jack Whitten, and dozens more Black artists are...
Culture Type: 16 Best Black Art Books of 2024

Culture Type: 16 Best Black Art Books of 2024

The Best Black Art Books of 2024 explore many artists and themes, including Alvin Ailey, Elizabeth Catlett, Tschabalala Self, Sargent Claude Johnson, the Harlem Renaissance, African photographers, Caribbean makers, and queer designers SOME OF THE BEST illustrated Black art books published over the past year highlight the work of women artists and reflect the rich...
Culture Type: The Month in Black Art, Here's What Happened in January 2025

Culture Type: The Month in Black Art, Here’s What Happened in January 2025

In January, artist and gallery founder Alonzo Davis died, Made in L.A. artists and USA Fellows were announced, Christina Kimeze and Mario Joyce joined new galleries, The Africa Center welcomed a new leader, the discovery of a rare William H. Dorsey painting was reported, and more   MARIO JOYCE, “Fragmented Memory,” 2024 (soil, vintage collage,...
Alisa Chiles Appointed Decorative Arts Curator at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Bringing Particular Expertise in the Areas of Art Nouveau and Art Deco

Alisa Chiles Appointed Decorative Arts Curator at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Bringing Particular Expertise in the Areas of Art Nouveau and Art Deco

Alisa Chiles is the new Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Decorative Arts, 1890 to the Present at the Virginia Museum of the Fine Arts. | Photo by Sandra Sellars, © 2024 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts   THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS (VMFA) in Richmond, Va., has built a prized collection of...
Acquisition: Martin Luther King Jr. Bust by Elizabeth Catlett is 'Majestic and Commanding Portrait' of Civil Rights Leader

Acquisition: Martin Luther King Jr. Bust by Elizabeth Catlett is ‘Majestic and Commanding Portrait’ of Civil Rights Leader

THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS of San Francisco marked the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend with a new installation, bringing attention to iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), and the uncertain times in which he became a national figure. “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” (1990), a bronze portrait bust by Elizabeth...
New York Museums are Showcasing African American Art, Exhibitions Focus on Connections to Ancient Egypt, Alvin Ailey, Elizabeth Catlett, Ralph Lemon & More

New York Museums are Showcasing African American Art, Exhibitions Focus on Connections to Ancient Egypt, Alvin Ailey, Elizabeth Catlett, Ralph Lemon & More

THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Jewish Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, and MoMA PS1, museums are presenting important exhibitions of African American artists. The following shows explore Alvin Ailey, Elizabeth Catlett, Belle da Costa Greene, Marlon Mullen, Latinx artists, design interpretations of ‘Making Home,’ and more. (Exhibitions...
Moving On Up: 24 Museum Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in Second Half of 2024

Moving On Up: 24 Museum Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in Second Half of 2024

CULTURE TYPE reports on new appointments of Black curators and arts leaders to gauge institutional representation, with an emphasis on art museums. Museum leaders, curators, and educators shape the management and intellectual direction of institutions, determine the art visitors see and the programming they experience and, by extension, whether audiences of color feel welcome and...
Ryan N. Dennis Named Co-Director and Chief Curator of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Closely Watched Curator Will Lead Museum in Her Hometown

Ryan N. Dennis Named Co-Director and Chief Curator of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Closely Watched Curator Will Lead Museum in Her Hometown

From left: Ryan N. Dennis. | Photo by Charles A. Smith; Melissa McDonnell Luján. | Photo by Fernanda Varela Rivera. Both Images Courtesy CAMH   Ryan N. Dennis and Melissa McDonnell Luján appointed co-directors of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, effective January 2025   NEW LEADERSHIP is coming to Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). Senior Curator...
Naomi Beckwith Appointed Artistic Director of Forthcoming Documenta in Kassel, Curator Called Opportunity to Lead International Exhibition 'Honor of a Lifetime'

Naomi Beckwith Appointed Artistic Director of Forthcoming Documenta in Kassel, Curator Called Opportunity to Lead International Exhibition ‘Honor of a Lifetime’

DOCUMENTA 16 will take place under the artistic direction of Naomi Beckwith. An American curator, scholar, and art historian, Beckwith is Deputy Director and Jennifer & David Stockman Chief Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in New York. Documenta is one of the most prominent art shows in the world, rivaled only...
Latest News in Black Art: Artist Lorraine O'Grady Has Died, Zoe Whitley is Departing Chisenhale Gallery, Family Seeks Return of Paintings From Louisiana Museums & More

Latest News in Black Art: Artist Lorraine O’Grady Has Died, Zoe Whitley is Departing Chisenhale Gallery, Family Seeks Return of Paintings From Louisiana Museums & More

Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Lorraine O’Grady. | Photo by Lelanie Foster, Courtesy the artist and Mariane Ibrahim gallery   LIVES Conceptual Artist Lorraine O’Grady Has Died at 90 New York artist Lorraine O’Grady (1934-2024) died at her home on Nov. 13....
Nikki Giovanni, 81, Profound Poet Whose Poignant Verse Reflected the Evolving Times in Which She Lived, Has Died

Nikki Giovanni, 81, Profound Poet Whose Poignant Verse Reflected the Evolving Times in Which She Lived, Has Died

Nikki Giovanni. | Photo © Nikki Giovanni   A PROFOUND VOICE and insightful wordsmith has passed on. Nikki Giovanni (1943-2024), the American poet, professor, public intellectual, and key figure in the Black Arts Movement, died in Blacksburg, Va., on Nov. 9. She was 81 years old. Virginia C. Fowler, Giovanni’s wife, told the New York...
Latest News in Black Art: New Leader at McColl Center in North Carolina, Alvin Ailey Names Next Artistic Director, Laura Wheeler Waring Portrait Covers Antiques Magazine, Romare Bearden Documentary & More

Latest News in Black Art: New Leader at McColl Center in North Carolina, Alvin Ailey Names Next Artistic Director, Laura Wheeler Waring Portrait Covers Antiques Magazine, Romare Bearden Documentary & More

Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Asa Jackson. | Courtesy McColl Center   APPOINTMENTS Asa Jackson to Helm McColl Center for Artists in North Carolina The McColl Center in Charlotte, N.C., announced its next president and CEO. Asa Jackson will lead the art...
American Scholar Saidiya Hartman, British Artist Steve McQueen Top Power 100 List of Influential Figures in International Art World

American Scholar Saidiya Hartman, British Artist Steve McQueen Top Power 100 List of Influential Figures in International Art World

American scholar Saidiya Hartman and British artist Steve McQueen are the highest-ranking Black people on this year’s Power 100 list.   SINCE 2002, ARTREVIEW has published a Power 100 list of influential artists, curators, gallerists, collectors, funders, and thinkers. The London-based contemporary art magazine describes the Power 100 as a “structural portrait of international contemporary...
International Curator Koyo Kouoh Tapped to Organize 2026 Venice Biennale, She is 'Ecstatic' and Called it a 'Momentous Mission'

International Curator Koyo Kouoh Tapped to Organize 2026 Venice Biennale, She is ‘Ecstatic’ and Called it a ‘Momentous Mission’

Koyo Kouoh will curate the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. | Photograph by Mirjam Kluka, Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia   Koyo Kouoh is first Black woman and second African-born curator to organize Venice Biennale in international exhibition’s 130-year history   THE NEXT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR of the Venice Biennale is Koyo Kouoh. She will curate...
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Appointed New Leadership Team: Director John K. Lapiana and Deputy Director Heran Sereke-Brhan

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Appointed New Leadership Team: Director John K. Lapiana and Deputy Director Heran Sereke-Brhan

New Appointments at Smithsonian National Museum of African Art: From left, Director John K. Lapiana. | Photo: Noah Willman; Deputy Director Heran Sereke-Brhan. | Courtesy National Museum of Africa Art   THE YEAR 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art (NMAfA). The Washington, D.C., museum is concluding the milestone...
Baltimore Museum of Art Celebrated 110th Anniversary with Ball Honoring Artists LaToya Ruby Frazier and John Akomfrah and Civil Rights Changemaker Sherrilyn Ifill

Baltimore Museum of Art Celebrated 110th Anniversary with Ball Honoring Artists LaToya Ruby Frazier and John Akomfrah and Civil Rights Changemaker Sherrilyn Ifill

The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Ball and Party honored artist LaToya Ruby Frazier; artist John Akomfrah; and BMA Trustee, civil rights lawyer, and scholar Sherrilyn Ifill. | Photo by Maximilian Frazier   THE BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART (BMA) hosted a gala celebration on Nov. 23. The BMA Ball and Afterparty marked the institution’s 110th anniversary...
Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta Joined Tyler School of Art and Architecture as Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs

Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta Joined Tyler School of Art and Architecture as Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs

Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta. | Photo courtesy Matthew Kenyatta   IN PHILADELPHIA, PA., Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University announced the appointment of Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta as director of exhibitions and public programs. He started earlier this month. Kenyatta leads Temple Contemporary, Tyler’s center for exhibitions and public engagement, where he is focusing...
Latest News in Black Art: Jane Carpenter-Rock Named Interim Director of Smithsonian Art Museum, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet at Brooklyn Museum, Herbert Gentry at Art Basel Miami Beach & More

Latest News in Black Art: Jane Carpenter-Rock Named Interim Director of Smithsonian Art Museum, Nancy Elizabeth Prophet at Brooklyn Museum, Herbert Gentry at Art Basel Miami Beach & More

Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   APPOINTMENTS Shake Up at Smithsonian American Art Museum Since September, Jane Carpenter-Rock has been serving as acting director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. Carpenter-Rock joined SAAM as deputy director...
Linda C. Harrison is Departing Newark Museum of Art, She 'Has Been a Transformative Leader of This Anchor Cultural Institution'

Linda C. Harrison is Departing Newark Museum of Art, She ‘Has Been a Transformative Leader of This Anchor Cultural Institution’

DIRECTOR AND CEO Linda C Harrison is departing the Newark Museum of Art on May 31, 2025. The museum announced Harrison is returning to the West Coast for “family reasons.” A search committee appointed by the museum’s board of trustees will conduct a national search for her successor. The Newark Museum of Art is the...