Reflecting on George Floyd with Words, Artistic Expression, and Durable Change Through Policy Reform
Photo: Shutterstock ONE YEAR AFTER the murder of George Floyd, worldwide tributes and remembrances poured forth on May 25. Culture leaders, artists, and journalists weighed in on the state of the national landscape and Floyd’s legacy as police killings persist and Black Lives Matter protests and calls for justice continue in response. Floyd’s family...
Evening Rhapsody: Norman Lewis Painting Owned by Playwright Lynn Nottage Sells for Near-Record $1.7 Million at Sotheby’s
TO THE EAR, the title “Evening Rhapsody” (1955) sounds like a jazz tune. To the eye, it is clear the work is in fact a painting by Norman Lewis (1909-1979), the Abstract Expressionist who was deeply influenced by jazz. Muted tones of golden yellow, grass green, and brick red mingle with one another in...
Latest News in Black Art: Nicola Vassell Opens New Gallery, Theaster Gates Wins Serpentine Commission, Curator Rujeko Hockley Promoted at Whitney Museum
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Nicola Vassell opened a new art gallery in Chelsea. The inaugural exhibition features works by photographer Ming Smith. | Video by Chelsea Odufu for ConceptNV News Curator and art advisor Nicola Vassell opened a...
On View: ‘Shattered Glass’ at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Los Angeles
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions “Shattered Glass” gives voice and visibility to new narratives, pushing back against traditional expectations and assumptions about representation and who deserves to be the subject of portraiture. A sprawling group show, the exhibition showcases work by 40 international artists of color expressing themselves in painting, sculpture,...
Commencement 2021: Fulton Leroy Washington is Addressing UCLA Art Students, Howardena Pindell, Lonnie Bunch, Amy Sherald, Sonya Clark, and Theaster Gates are Also Speaking at Graduations
WHATEVER WISDOM Fulton Leroy Washington (aka Mr. Wash) imparts on graduating art students at UCLA, he will likely emphasize the importance of time. Don’t waste it. Make the most of it. You can’t get it back. Washington is delivering the keynote address at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture graduating class of...
Photographer Tyler Mitchell is Teaching a MasterClass: ‘It’s Always Been Important to Me to Share and Make Accessible the Information I’ve Learned Along the Way’
SPIKE LEE TEACHES independent filmmaking. Anna Wintour provides insights about leadership. Frank Gehry offers fundamentals about architecture and design. A fine art and fashion photographer, Tyler Mitchell provides instruction on how to tell stories through portrait photography. Mitchell shot to fame in the creative world when he became the first Black photographer and youngest...
Paintings by 4 Black Female Artists Set Auction Records at Christie’s Evening Sale: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Nina Chanel Abney, Mickalene Thomas, Jordan Casteel
PAINTINGS BY 10 OF THE MOST HIGHLY REGARDED Black contemporary artists active today were featured in Christie’s inaugural 21st Century Evening Sale in New York. Six set new artist records, including four figurative works by women artists. Nina Chanel Abney‘s powerful 2015 painting of two Black cops arresting a white man sold for $990,000....
Latest News in Black Art: Donavon Smallwood Wins Aperture Portfolio Prize, Museums Plan Major Exhibition Exploring Great Migration, Estate of Elizabeth Talford Scott Goes to Goya Contemporary
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...
E. Carmen Ramos Departs Smithsonian to Join National Gallery of Art as Chief Curatorial and Conservation Officer
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: ‘Patrick Alston: Let There Be Light’ at Ross + Kramer Gallery in New York City
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...
Lucas Museum Acquires Robert Colescott’s ‘George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware’ Painting for Record-Smashing $15.3 Million From Sotheby’s Auction
A PROFOUND AND PROVOCATIVE parody of American history painting by Robert Colescott (1925-2009) was acquired yesterday by the forthcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. “George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware: Page from an American History Textbook” (1975) sold for a record-breaking $15.3 million at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction in New...
Latest News in Black Art: Phylicia Rashad Named Dean of Fine Arts at Howard University, Chicago Artist Eugene Wade Has Died, Nanette Carter Joins Berry Campbell
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 Contemporary Evening Auction Opened With Works by Joy Labinjo, Lina Iris Viktor, and Toyin Ojih Odutola, Painting by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones Set New Record
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: Collective Black Obsidian Sound System (BOSS) Makes Turner Prize Shortlist, New Representation for Artists Lonnie Holley and Nekisha Durrett
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...
Maryland Park to be Renamed for Artist and Historian David C. Driskell Previously Restricted to ‘Caucasian Inhabitants Only’
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...
Museums From Miami to Milwaukee are Recognizing Artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Her Deeply Personal, Poetic Work
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...
Latest News in Black Art: Sherrill Roland Repped by Tanya Bonakdar, New Hires at Toledo and Harvard Museums, Vision & Justice at Frieze NY, David Hammons Hudson River Installation Complete & More
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...
United Talent Agency Announced its Representation of Titus Kaphar, Painter is Adding Filmmaker Title to Expanding and Impressive Portfolio
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...
Artist Michelangelo Lovelace Sr., Who Documented the Challenges of Life in Urban Cleveland, Has Died at Age 60
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...
National Gallery of Art Acquires Textile Work By Christopher Myers Memorializing Victims of Police Murder
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...
