The Week in Black Art | May 24-30, 2014
A REVIEW OF THE WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Featuring Johnetta B. Cole, Andres Serrano, Chris Ofili, Kara Walker, Jacolby Satterwhite, Hank Willis Thomas and more ANDRES SERRANO is bringing the city’s homeless population to the attention of New Yorkers with a new photography project (video above). Using a large-format camera,...
Art Agenda | May 25-31, 2014
MUST-SEE EXHIBITION openings and interesting talks and appearances happening this week in black art: Through June 21, 2014 Brenna Youngblood at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis A selection of muted abstracts by Los Angeles-based artist Brenna Youngblood are on view at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. “Loss Prevention” features new and earlier...
The Week in Black Art | May 17-May 23, 2014
A REVIEW OF THE WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Featuring Rufus Reid, Elizabeth Catlett, Jack Shainman Gallery, Nick Cave, Terry Adkins, and more Elizabeth Catlett Inspires Jazz Composer Rufus Reid The late sculptor Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) has inspired a new jazz album. Drawn to the strength and emotion of Catlett’s...
Kara Walker Discusses Her Sugar-Coated Sphinx at NY Public Library
ON TUESDAY, ARTIST KARA WALKER spoke for 90 minutes about “A Subtlety,” the enormous sculpture she has installed in the old Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn. Commissioned by the public arts organization Creative Time to produce a work for the abandoned space, which is slated for redevelopment, she was given complete creative freedom. In...
Theaster Gates Among Fast Company’s Most Creative People
FAST COMPANY NAMED Theaster Gates one of the 100 Most Creative People of 2014. The magazine ranked Gates No. 11, recognizing him for mastering the art of urban renewal. A conceptual artist whose multi-disciplinary practice explores the intersection of art, culture and community, Gates (above) is founder of the Rebuild Foundation and serves as...
Art Agenda | May 18-24, 2014
MUST-SEE EXHIBITION openings and interesting talks and appearances happening this week in black art: May 19, 2014 @ 7 p.m. Conversations on Art: Dawoud Bey at Whitney Museum | New York Images from Dawoud Bey‘s “The Birmingham Project” (shown above) are on view at the Whitney Biennial. Marking the 50th anniversary of 16th...
On Exhibit: What to See on Art Museum Day 2014
THE ASSOCIATION OF ART MUSEUM OF DIRECTORS is celebrating Art Museum Day on Sunday, May 18. For the fifth year, museums across the country are using the annual event to promote the cultural and educational benefits of their programming and encourage the public to visit. Participating museums are offering free or reduced admission and...
The Week in Black Art | May 10-16, 2014
A REVIEW OF THE WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Featuring Yams Collective, Thomas J. Lax, Christian Rosa and contemporary auction results Yams Collective Pulls Out of Whitney Biennial As the final days of the Whitney Biennial approach, a race-related kerfuffle has emerged. The Yams, (shown above) a collective of 38...
Art Agenda | May 11-17, 2014
MUST-SEE EXHIBITION openings and interesting talks and appearances happening this week in black art: Through May 31, 2014 Cullen Washington Jr. Exhibition at B2OA | New York For its inaugural exhibition, B2OA gallery is featuring a series of new abstract collage and assemblage works by Cullen Washington Jr. According to the gallery release,...
Julie Mehretu Ranks Among Most Expensive Women Artists
TODAY, AN ARTNET NEWS HEADLINE asked “Who are the Top 10 Most Expensive Women Artists?” The answer includes Julie Mehretu, the Ethiopian-born abstract painter who lives and works in New York. She ranks No. 5, earning the spot when her 2001 work “Retopistics: A Renegade Excavation” (above) sold for $4.6 million at Christie’s New...
Mickalene Thomas Art Rug Debuting at Barneys
HENZEL STUDIO IS COLLABORATING with a dozen artists including Mickalene Thomas on a collection of art rugs that will officially launch at Barneys New York on May 7. “Candy Crush” by Thomas, is a free-form, hand-knotted rug made of Himalayan wool and silk (shown above). According to Henzel, a Swedish luxury rug manufacturer, Thomas’s floor...
Art Agenda | May 4-10, 2014
MUST-SEE EXHIBITION openings and interesting talks and appearances happening this week in black art: May 7, 2014 @ 1 p.m. Artists Discuss Art and Diplomacy | Washington, D.C. The National Gallery of Art is hosting a panel discussion on the role of artists in international diplomacy. The event is a collaboration with the...
The Week in Black Art | April 27-May 2, 2014
A REVIEW OF THE WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Featuring David Hammons, Lyle Ashton Harris, David Driskell, Kara Walker, Mickalene Thomas, Chakaia Booker and Nicola Vassell David Hammons Ranks Among Most Expensive Living American Artists Artnet News published a list of the top 10 most expensive living American artists based...
Culture Talk: Duke Professor Richard J. Powell on Archibald Motley
THE NASHER MUSEUM OF ART at Duke University is infused with Chicago jazz and Paris blues. Since January 19, the museum has been exhibiting 45 paintings by Chicago artist Archibald J. Motley Jr. (1891-1981). “Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist” presents a rare opportunity to experience the work of one of the 20th century’s most...
David Hammons Among 10 Most Expensive Living American Artists
A BASKETBALL HOOP with a frosted glass backboard adorned with lights and chandelier crystals by David Hammons sold for more than $8 million last fall. Created in 2000, the untitled work was the cover lot for Phillips Contemporary Art Evening sale on Nov. 11, 2013, and the hammer price ($8,005,000 with fees included) was...
Art Agenda | April 27 – May 3, 2014
MUST-SEE EXHIBITION openings and interesting talks and appearances happening this week in black art: May 1-31, 2014 Toyin Odutola at Jack Shainman Gallery | New York Nigerian-born Toyin Odutola’s latest exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery was inspired by her two younger brothers who are depicted in the works. According to the gallery, “Like...
Critics’ Best: El Anatsui Exhibition Among Those Recognized for Excellence
AICA-USA ANNOUNCED THE WINNERS of its annual Best Show awards this week. “Gravity and Grace: Works by El Anatsui” at the Brooklyn Museum (shown above) was recognized for excellence in the Best Monographic Museum Show in New York category. Exhibitions featuring Nick Cave, Isaac Julien, Kerry James Marshall and Wangechi Mutu, were among the...
Billboards to Advertise Museum Art this Summer
THIS SUMMER, BILLBOARDS boasting images by artists Glenn Ligon, Jacob Lawrence or Kerry James Marshall may give your road trip an unexpected dose of culture. Across the nation, the huge elevated outdoor billboards that usually advertise soft drinks, automobiles and the latest reality show, will be “marketing” art selected from museums across the United...
‘Witness’: Artists Offer Powerful Visual Voice for Civil Rights Era
TWO YEARS AFTER MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, Sam Gilliam created “Red April.” The draped canvas makes a bold statement with its candid reference to splattered blood in the wake of an assassin’s bullet. Gilliam, an internationally known artist whose work is influenced by Abstract Expressionism, is recognized for...
Art Agenda | March 30 – April 5
A GUIDE TO EXHIBITION OPENINGS, TALKS AND EVENTS HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN BLACK ART: Tuesday, April 1 @ 10:00 a.m. and 2 p.m. Phillips Photography Auction, New York The auction house Phillips is holding a Photography sale in New York. Among the 271 lots are works by the late Mali-born Seydou Keito (“Reclining Women,” 1958,...
