At Sotheby’s, $3.9M White Text Painting Sets Glenn Ligon Record
IT WAS THE FIRST LOT OF THE NIGHT, a white-on-white text painting by Glenn Ligon. Originally executed in 1990 and repainted in 2003, “Untitled (I Was Somebody)” opened Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction and sold for more than $3.9 million, according to sales results. The price was well over twice the estimate of $1 million...
Shelf Worthy: New Books on Black British Artists, Chris Ofili, Basquiat and More
A SELECTION OF SHELF-WORTHY, COFFEE TABLE-READY books and catalogs published recently that explore black art and artists “The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume V: The Twentieth Century, Part 2: The Rise of Black Artists” edited by David Bindman and Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Belknap Press, 368 pages) Since 2010, Harvard University Press...
Art & Antiques: An Overdue Look at Archibald Motley, Modernist ‘Mix Master’
THE MOTIVATION BEHIND MOUNTING “Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist” has everything to do with exposure, recasting the legacy of an important 20th century painter. Based in Chicago, Archibald Motley (1891-1981) painted captivating portraits, lively street scenes and spirited social gatherings with a modern perspective. His canvases capture African American life with wry humor and...
Recommended Reading: New Yorker on Weeksville, Filmmaker Bradford Young in BOMB, WSJ on Kara Walker
RECOMMENDED READING FEATURES recently published content from around the web, recommendations from Culture Type worth taking the time to explore: “Recovering Weeksville” By Brandon Harris | The New Yorker The new Weeksville Heritage Center, “Brooklyn’s largest African-American cultural center,” cements the legacy of the black landowning community for which it was named. Straddling Bedford-Stuyvesant and...
For Carrie Mae Weems, Guggenheim Honor Caps Banner Year
SINCE LAST FALL, month after month has been punctuated by encounters with photographer Carrie Mae Weems. Not literally, but at every turn it seems another accomplishment or engagement, another confirmation of the importance of her practice, has come to my attention, which is wonderful. Throughout her more than 30-year career, Weems has been critically...
Today is Election Day, Vote with Your Art
ACROSS THE COUNTRY TODAY, voters are casting ballots in the mid-term elections. Congressional seats, state offices and local initiatives, including arts funding, are up for consideration. Nationwide, President Obama’s handling of ISIS and Ebola is overshadowing fundamental economic issues, though politics remains mostly local. The most competitive states where outcomes will determine the balance of...
Chris Ofili Presents His Greatest Hits at New Museum
SPANNING THREE GALLERY FLOORS, Chris Ofili’s exhibition at the New Museum doesn’t hold back, presenting his greatest hits and new works, fabulous canvases that refute any notion that painting is dead. His culturally tuned layered and embellished canvases from the 1990s are on view, along with a quintet of red, black and green nods...
Art Agenda: Chris Ofili Opens at New Museum, Barbara Chase-Riboud, George Clinton, Gary Simmons
ART AGENDA LISTS UPCOMING EVENTS, EXHIBITION OPENINGS AND TALKS HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN BLACK ART Prospect 3 New Orleans | Oct. 25, 2014 – Jan. 25, 2015 The first full week of Prospect 3 is underway with a full agenda of talks and events in addition to exhibitions. Exploring the theme “Notes for...
Links: St. Louis Exhibitions, Gary Simmons, Hew Locke, ArtReview Power List
LINKS TO THE LATEST NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE WORLD OF BLACK ART The Times-Picayune visits Newcombe Art Gallery where, as a part of Prospect 3 New Orleans, British artist Hew Locke‘s black rope drawings (above), dangling with beads that conjure Mardi Gras are on view. Read Article St. Louis Public Radio...
Jazz Musician Jason Moran Freestyles with Visual Artists
EARLIER THIS YEAR, LUHRING AUGUSTINE announced the addition of Jason Moran to its roster. Why would a jazz pianist and composer join a tony New York art gallery? Moran was appointed artistic director for jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in May 2014. He teaches at the New England...
5 Candid Comments: Deborah Grant on Navigating the Art World
DEBORAH GRANT GIVES A GOOD INTERVIEW. She is candid and forthcoming about her journey as an artist as well as her views of the art world’s racial fault lines. Born in Toronto, she lives and works in New York, where her exhibition, “Christ You Know it Ain’t Easy,” was on view earlier this year at...
Links: Franklin Sirmans Previews Prospect 3, Toni Morrison’s Papers, LaToya Ruby Frazier
LINKS TO THE LATEST NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE WORLD OF BLACK ART Following a press conference previewing Prospect New Orleans, Hyperallergic talks with artistic director Franklin Sirmans about the biennial’s third edition and how it will reflect its theme “Notes for Now.” Read Interview For the BBC, Daily Telegraph art critic...
Art Agenda: Prospect New Orleans, ART21 Premieres on PBS, David Adjaye at Harvard
ART AGENDA LISTS UPCOMING EVENTS, EXHIBITION OPENINGS AND TALKS HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN BLACK ART Ongoing | Brooklyn, N.Y.: “Crossing Brooklyn: Art from Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Beyond,” a major survey of more than 100 works by 35 Brooklyn-based artists and collectives, includes Linda Goode Bryant and Project EATS, Aisha Cousins, Heather Hart, Steffani...
Links: Kerry James Marshall and David Hammons in London, USA Fellows and More
LINKS TO THE PAST WEEK’S TOP NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE WORLD OF BLACK ART The Independent talks with Kerry James Marshall about his childhood introduction to art and the motivation behind the images in his paintings, which are on view at David Zwirner in London. Read Article ARTnews publishes an effusive...
Shantell Martin is Drawing on Kelly Wearstler Products
SQUIGGLY LINES PUNCTUATED WITH BRIGHT EYES adorn the window of interior designer Kelly Wearstler’s flagship boutique on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Executed with a thick, black marker, the drawing style looks familiar, Keith Haring-esque perhaps, but it is all Shantell Martin, bursting with whimsy, wonder and hipster cool. The British-born artist is collaborating...
Weekend Viewing: Kara Walker in Conversation with Filmmaker Ava DuVernay
The Broad brought Kara Walker and Ava DuVernay together for a conversation on Oct. 11, 2014, in Beverly Hills. HOUSING THE EXPANSIVE Eli and Edythe Broad collection of post-war and contemporary art, The Broad museum will open its doors in downtown Los Angeles next year. In the lead up to its debut, the museum...
London Calling: 6 Must-See UK Exhibitions Featuring Black Artists
HEADED TO LONDON? Frieze, Frieze Masters and the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair likely top your list of things to do, but make certain exploring the gallery scene is a priority too. A group of highly regarded black artists is currently showing in London galleries and art spaces. Six must-see solo exhibitions featuring British artist...
Art Agenda: 1:54 African Art Fair, El Anatsui, Carrie Mae Weems, Archibald Motley, LaToya Ruby Frazier and more
ART AGENDA LISTS UPCOMING EVENTS, EXHIBITION OPENINGS AND TALKS HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN BLACK ART New: “Color: Real and Imagined” features a selection of Carrie Mae Weems‘s work over the past 30 years are on view at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery in London from Oct. 10 to Nov. 15, 2014. Sunday, Oct. 12:...
Links: Sonya Clark Wins ArtPrize, Black Radical Brooklyn, Stan Douglas and More
LINKS TO THE PAST WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Winners of the sixth annual ArtPrize were announced last night with “Intersections” by Anila Quayyum Agha and “The Haircraft Project” (above) by Richmond, Va.-based Sonya Clark taking the top prizes. In Grand Rapids, Mich., Leonardo Drew served on the ArtPrize jury...
Weekend Reading: Catching Up on Contemporary African Art in Anticipation of 1:54 Fair
Highlights from conversations at 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, October 2013. | Video by 1:54 Art Fair NEXT WEEK, THE SECOND EDITION of 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair opens at Somerset House in London (Oct. 16-19, 2014). Emphasizing that Africa is not a monolith, but rather a diverse continent composed of 54...
