On View: ‘Love Letters for Harlem,’ Photographs by John Pinderhughes, Ruben Natal SanMiguel, Jeffrey Henson Scales and Shawn Walker at Claire Oliver Gallery
“Lady Money Sings The Blues” (2011) by Ruben Natal-San Miguel On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions FOUR HARLEM PHOTOGRAPHERS are the focus of the latest exhibition at Claire Oliver Gallery—John Pinderhughes, Ruben Natal SanMiguel, Jeffrey Henson Scales, and Shawn Walker. The artful images featured in “Love Letters for Harlem” pay homage to...
Auction Records: Paintings Derrick Adams and Jammie Holmes Establish New Benchmarks at Christie’s, Works by Titus Kaphar and Henry Taylor Also Sold
CHRISTIE’S HOSTED A LIVE Post-War to Present auction this week, setting four artist records for Derrick Adams, Elaine de Kooning, Jammie Holmes, and Lucas Samaras. Two figurative paintings set new benchmarks for Adams and Holmes. The second lot in the auction, “Figure in the Urban Landscape 31” (2019) by Adams doubled expectations. The two-figure...
Lauren Haynes Named Senior Curator at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art
THE NASHER MUSEUM OF ART at Duke University announced the appointment of Lauren Haynes this morning. She is joining the museum as Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Senior Curator of Contemporary Art. The Nasher Museum in Durham, N.C., has been a leader in the field, showcasing a spectrum of emerging and overlooked artists,...
The Week in Black Art, March 8-14, 2021: Deana Haggag Departs United States Artists to Join Mellon Foundation, Mariane Ibrahim Opening Paris Gallery
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week Deana Haggag. Photo by Braxton Black March 12, 2021 Deana Haggag is Joining the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation After serving as president and CEO of United States Artists (USA) for four years, Deana Haggag has accepted...
International Recognition: From America to Africa, Europe and Asia, Museum Exhibitions are Celebrating Black Female Artists
CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, in many ways represents the modus operandi of Black female artists. Achieving a certain level of success and recognition requires beating profound odds in a field where women, particularly women of color, are underrepresented and undervalued at nearly every turn—from exhibitions, gallery representation,...
New Orleans-Based Artist and Filmmaker Garrett Bradley is Now Exclusively Represented by Lisson Gallery
Artist and Filmmaker Garrett Bradley. | Courtesy Lisson Gallery LISSON GALLERY of London, New York, and Shanghai announced its worldwide representation of Garrett Bradley on March 5. In her bio, the artist and filmmaker states that she “works across narrative, documentary, and experimental modes of filmmaking to address themes such as race, class, familial...
Closing Soon: From New York to Atlanta and Dallas, 5 Museum Exhibitions Featuring African American Artists
FROM NEW YORK TO TEXAS, museums are presenting some of the most socially engaging and historically significant work of our time. Five must-see exhibitions feature critically acclaimed video installations by Arthur Jafa and Garrett Bradley; retrospectives exploring the photography of New York collective Kamoinge Workshop and Chicago-based Dawoud Bey; and works by artists incarcerated...
The Week in Black Art, March 1-7, 2021: Two Museums Will Acquire Amy Sherald’s Portrait of Breonna Taylor, Text From Obama Speech Will Grace Facade of Presidential Museum
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week AMY SHERALD (b. 1973), “Breonna Taylor,” 2020 (oil on linen, 137.2 x 109.2 cm / 54 x 43 inches). | © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo by Joseph Hyde March 7, 2021...
Hugo McCloud’s New Paintings are Made with Single-Use Plastic Bags: ‘This Material Could Be Used as Art, But Also as a Tool to Open Up Conversation’
THE WORK OF Hugo McCloud has shifted profoundly over the past year. His latest paintings on view at Sean Kelly Gallery in New York, were produced using single-use plastic bags—plentiful, overlooked, non-biodegradable material available in a spectrum of colors. The plastic served as his “paint.” The works are composed of hundreds, or maybe even...
College Art Association 2021 Awards Honor Samella Lewis, Deborah Willis, Nicole R. Fleetwood, Simone Leigh, Charles L. Davis II, and Maren Hassinger
From left, Nicole R. Fleetwood and Samella Lewis AN INTERGENERATIONAL SLATE of artists and scholars was recognized by the College Art Association (CAA) with 2021 Awards for Distinction. In previous years, one or a few of the honorees have been Black. This year, there were several. Recipients of the juried awards included Samella Lewis,...
The Week in Black Art, February 22-28, 2021: Precious Okoyomon Wins Frieze Artist Award, Honor Titus Now Repped by Timothy Taylor Gallery
This post will be updated with the latest news in Black art throughout the week PRECIOUS OKOYOMON, Installation view of “A Drop of Sun Under The Earth,” at the LUMA Westbau, Zurich, 2019. | Courtesy the artist, the LUMA Westbau, and Quinn Harrelson / Current Projects. Photo by Nelly Rodriguez Feb. 27,...
Water Works: Los Angeles-Based Artist Calida Rawles is Now Represented by Lehmann Maupin Gallery
LEHMANN MAUPIN announced its representation of Calida Rawles. Based in Los Angeles, she is recognized for her images of Black men, women, and young people submerged and floating in waves of pool water. Blending hyper-realism and abstraction, each of the paintings is grounded in spaces of stunning, deep blue color. Drawing on the symbolism...
Curator Laura Hoptman Reflects on Meeting Artist David Hammons and Organizing New Show at Drawing Center, the First Museum Exhibition Dedicated to His Body Prints
IN THE LATE 1960s, David Hammons adapted an inventive method for creating monoprints, using grease, pigment, and his own body to make the impressions. He was living and working in Los Angeles at the time. Over the span of a decade, Hammons produced a spectrum of body prints, combining the process with silkscreening and...
The Week in Black Art, February 15-21, 2021: Art Institute of Chicago Hires People and Culture VP, Phillips Collection and Newark Museum of Art Announce New Board Appointments
This post will be updated throughout the week Feb. 19, 2021 Art Institute of Chicago Appoints Leader of People and Culture Norissa Bailey is joining the Art Institute of Chicago as senior vice president, People and Culture. In her new post, she will “shape the museum’s efforts on inclusion and belonging, staff engagement,...
National Gallery of Art Acquires Howardena Pindell’s Seminal Video ‘Free, White and 21’
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (NGA) recently acquired “Free, White and 21” (1980), a seminal video installation by artist Howardena Pindell. She was 37 years old when she filmed herself facing the camera recounting her personal experiences with racism and bias as a young Black woman in America. Pindell also performs as a white...
Culture Talk: Director Sam Pollard on His New HBO Documentary ‘Black Art: In the Absence of Light’
Trailer for “Black Art: In the Absence of Light.” | Video by HBO THE OPENING SCENE OF Sam Pollard‘s documentary “Black Art: In the Absence of Light” is half-century-old footage of NBC’s Tom Brokaw talking with David C. Driskell (1931-2020) on the Today Show. The interview is about Driskell’s seminal exhibition “Two Centuries of...
Painter Jordan Casteel, Who Portrays Her Subjects with Illuminating Detail, is Now Represented by Massimo de Carlo Gallery
MASSIMO DE CARLO announced its representation of painter Jordan Casteel, whose illuminating portraits capture detailed observations of her subjects—primarily young Black men, her students, and residents of the culturally rich community of Harlem. She is now jointly represented by Casey Kaplan in New York and Massimo de Carlo, which has gallery locations in Milan, London,...
The Week in Black Art, Feb. 8-14, 2021: Alexis Johnson Takes Senior Role at Paula Cooper Gallery, Cummer Museum Appoints 4 Black Board Members, April Bey Now Repped by Gavlak Gallery
“Portrait of a Mother and Daughter” (1841) by Robert S. Duncanson. | Hammonds House Museum This post will be updated throughout the week Feb. 13, 2021 Oldest Robert Duncanson Painting The inauguration of President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris brought renewed attention to 19th century artist Robert S. Duncanson...
New Florida Home of Tennis Phenom Serena Williams Has Art Gallery Featuring Works by Radcliffe Bailey and Leonardo Drew
NORTH OF MIAMI, the new home of tennis champion Serena Williams boasts a trophy room with open shelves displaying her U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open, and Australian Open awards and a living room space where her growing art collection, including works by Radcliffe Bailey and Leonardo Drew, is on view. She moved into the...
Ceiling Breaker, History Maker: Glass Portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris Unveiled at Lincoln Memorial
A PORTRAIT OF VICE PRESIDENT Kamala Harris was unveiled today on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artwork is installed near the Lincoln Memorial, in the shadow of the Washington Monument, and will be on view through Feb. 6. Rendered in shattered glass by Swiss artist Simon Berger, the likeness is a nod...
