Latest News in Black Art features regular news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture DONAVON SMALLWOOD, Untitled, 2020, from the series Languor. | © Devon Smallwood, Courtesy the artist Awards & Honors New York photographer Donavon Smallwood won the 2021 Aperture Portfolio Prize. 1-54 Contemporary African Art...
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (NGA) is adding to its leadership team. E. Carmen Ramos has been named chief curatorial and conservation officer, overseeing all aspects of the museum’s curatorial and conservation departments. She will be the first woman and first person of color to serve in the role. The appointment was announced May 13....
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions FOR HIS SOLO EXHIBITION DEBUT, Patrick Alston is presenting a series of abstract paintings made over the past year. “Let There Be Light” at Ross + Kramer Gallery in New York explores color theory, materiality, and mental health. Before he begins painting, Alston works with a...
Latest News in Black Art features regular news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Phylicia Rashad has been appointed dean of the newly established College of Fine Arts at Howard University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1970. Appointments On May 12, Howard...
PHILLIPS MOST RECENT 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale was front loaded with works by Black artists—six of the first seven lots. Five of the artists were Black women. An untitled painting by rising artist Joy Labinjo, a charming narrative self-portrait with her mother, was Lot 1, opening the auction. A figurative painting...
Latest News in Black Art features regular updates of news and developments in the world of art and related culture Atlanta-based artist and musician Lonnie Holley is now represented by Blum & Poe. | Photo lonnieholley.com Representation Artist and musician, Lonnie Holley has joined Blum & Poe gallery, which has locations in...
Magruder Park sign is removed in anticipation of a new one honoring David C. Driskell. | Photo: City of Hyattsville WILLIAM PINKNEY MAGRUDER PARK in Hyattsville, Md., will be renamed for artist and curator David C. Driskell (1931-2020). The renowned historian of African American art was a longtime resident of Hyattsville. The park was...
NASHVILLE, TENN.-BASED, Cuban-born artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons makes deeply personal and poetic work. A key figure in post-revolutionary Cuban art, she has received international attention over the past three decades. Currently, her unique practice is being celebrated with a prestigious prize from the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM); acquisitions at the Institute of Contemporary...
A snapshot of the latest news in Black visual art and related culture News In South Africa, a major wild fire claimed invaluable archives at the University of Cape Town Libraries, including first-edition books, manuscripts, photographs, and primary sources documenting African history, and destroyed the institution’s film collection, one of the largest in the...
TITUS KAPHAR IS GETTING INTO THE FILM BUSINESS. United Talent Agency (UTA) announced its representation of Titus Kaphar today. The agency will work with the artist on a variety of projects across film, television, publishing, podcasts, and other potential platforms. Kaphar is starting a new production company called Revolution Ready that already has films in...
SHINING A LIGHT on his Cleveland community and its myriad social and economic challenges, artist Michelangelo Lovelace Sr. (1960-2021), addressed issues of racial injustice, crime, poverty, and unemployment in his work. Lovelace also documented people coming together—for parties, parades, or political rallies—and infused his pictures with wisdom and positive messages. The work reflected what...
A GATHERING OF NINE silhouetted figures in a medley of autumn tones against a backdrop of patterned fabrics forms a compelling composition. It’s a striking assembly with a sobering message. “What Does It Mean to Matter (Community Autopsy)” (2019) by Christopher Myers memorializes the lives of Black people killed by police (and in police...
A ONE-OF-A-KIND QUILT by Bisa Butler graces the cover of the forthcoming Essence magazine. The specially commissioned quilt illustrates the magazine’s May/June 2021 edition. Dedicated to “The Year that Changed the World,” the issue looks back at the past year, which brought political unrest, police brutality, economic inequality, and a global pandemic. Butler is...
THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO announced last week that Denise Gardner was elected chairperson of the Art Institute of Chicago Board of Trustees. She will be the first woman and first African American to chair the board, which serves as the governing body of both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)...
GUND GALLERY at Kenyon College named Daisy Desrosiers director and chief curator. Located in Gambier, Ohio, the gallery serves Kenyon students and the broader public. Desrosiers will develop exhibitions and public programming and manage the institution’s contemporary art collection. Desrosiers is currently director of artist programs at the Lunder Institute for American Art at the...
A PIONEERING PRESENCE in the New York gallery scene, Paula Cooper founded her eponymous gallery in 1968. A half century later she’s formed a partnership “ensuring continuity for years to come.” Cooper named four new partners, led by her son Lucas Cooper. The team also includes Steve Henry, Anthony Allen, and Alexis Johnson. Cooper,...
