The New York Times Recognizes the Greatness of Carrie Mae Weems
Carrie Mae Weems photographed by Mickalene Thomas for The New York Times WHAT DETERMINES GREATNESS? In her introductory note about how the six people featured in “T” magazine’s 2018 Greats issue were selected, Hanya Yanagihara, editor of the New York Times style publication, admits “there is no real metric for greatness.” The candidates could...
Robert Colescott at FIAC: An American Painter Reflects on Cultural Shift Witnessed in Late 1960s Paris
BLUM & POE GALLERY is presenting a selection of paintings and drawings made about a half a century ago by Robert Colescott (1925-2009) at this year’s FIAC fair, the International Fair of Contemporary Art at the Grand Palais in Paris (Oct. 18-21). The display is the artist’s first solo show in France and presents...
Artist Simone Leigh Wins Guggenheim’s 2018 Hugo Boss Prize
THE 2018 HUGO BOSS PRIZE has been awarded to Simone Leigh. Best known for her ceramic works, Leigh’s practice examines black female subjectivity, black feminist discourse, and the history of labor and resistance. Her selection was announced last night at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. The Hugo Boss Prize recognizes the...
Diedrick Brackens Receives the Studio Museum in Harlem’s 2018 Wein Prize
THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM’S 2018 Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize has been awarded to Diedrick Brackens. The Los Angeles-based textile artist is recognized for his tapestries and innovative weaving techniques. His selection was announced by Thelma Golden at the museum’s 50th anniversary gala this evening at the Park Avenue Armory. The annual prize...
Linda Harrison Has Been Appointed Director of the Newark Museum
LINDA HARRISON IS LEAVING the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco to helm New Jersey’s largest museum. Last week, the Newark Museum named Harrison director and CEO. “I’m thrilled to join the Newark Museum family to implement a bold transformation/agenda that lock steps with the City of Newark’s revitalization of the...
Titus Kaphar, Whose Paintings Reconstruct Accepted Historic Narratives, is a 2018 MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellow
Titus Kaphar in his New Haven, Conn., studio. YEARS BEFORE THE DEBATE about decolonizing America’s public squares where monuments pay homage to slaveholders and Confederate generals reached a fever pitch in 2017, Titus Kaphar was engaging with representation in Western art history and its overwhelming penchant for foregrounding white men while people of color...
Historic Bequest: Late Arts Patron Peggy Cooper Cafritz Gifted 650+ Works of Art to the Studio Museum in Harlem and Duke Ellington School of the Arts
THE COLLECTION OF THE STUDIO MUSEUM in Harlem has grown by 20 percent thanks to the generosity of the Peggy Cooper Cafritz (1947-2018), the late Washington, D.C. arts patron, activist and co-founder of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. The Studio Museum and Duke Ellington announced yesterday that Cafritz bequeathed the majority of...
Charles White Drawing Tops Swann African American Art Sale, 12 Artists Achieve Auction Records
DAYS BEFORE THE OPENING of “Charles White: A Retrospective” at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York on Oct. 7, a dramatic drawing by the pivotal, 20th-century figure topped the latest African-American Fine Art sale at Swann Auction Galleries. “Nobody Knows My Name #1” sold for $485,000 (including fees) on Oct. 4....
Looking in London: 10 Exhibitions to See This Season Featuring Kerry James Marshall, Julie Mehretu, and Adam Pendleton Among Others
YEAR AFTER YEAR, serious art aficionados descend on various locales around the world for art fairs, biennials, and major exhibition opening. The rolling schedule unfolds in New York, Basel, Paris, Venice, Berlin, Chicago, Miami, Johannesburg, Lagos, Los Angeles, and beyond. Each fall brings buyers and lookers to London for the 1-54 Contemporary Art Fair,...
1-54 London: Contemporary African Art Fair Pairs Gallery Presentations with Robust Lineup of Artist Talks
THREE TREES HAVE SPROUTED in the courtyard at Somerset House where the latest edition of 1-54 London is underway. The installation is by acclaimed Sudanese artist Ibrahim El-Salahi, one of the most critically recognized figures in African and Arab Modernism. “Meditation Tree” is part of his ongoing investigation into the tree/body metaphor and references...
Frieze London: Black Artists, Women in Particular, are Notably Present in Select Programming and Exhibitions
“Untitled” (1998) by Berni Searle FRIEZE LONDON AND FRIEZE MASTERS officially open to the public today and black women are notably present. This afternoon, artist Julie Mehretu will be in conversation with Thelma Golden of the Studio Museum in Harlem. The conversation is part of Frieze Masters Talks, which is focusing on women speakers...
Broadway Bound: Musical About Legendary Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in Development
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT (1960-1988) is Broadway bound. A musical about the storied artist’s life is in the works, composed by Jon Batiste, the bandleader and musical director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. The project is produced by Alan D. Marks and Barbara Marks. Tony winner John Doyle (“The Color Purple”) has...
Latest News: Police Brutality Exhibition Remains on Pause, 1-54 African Art Fair Heads to Manhattan, Artist Warrington Colescott Has Died & More
Sept. 18: After putting her exhibition “America Monuments” on hold, artist lauren woods explains why the action is necessary. | Video by Daily 49er The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: NEWS After four years in Brooklyn,...
$5.4 Million Grant to Spelman College Will Amplify Art History and Curatorial Studies at Atlanta University Center
Spelman College campus in Atlanta. A GRANT FROM THE WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION positions Spelman College to become an incubator for African American curators. The five-year, $5.4 million grant will inaugurate the Atlanta University Center Collective for the Study of Art History and Curatorial Studies. An art history major and curatorial studies minor will be...
