Remembering Nelson Mandela: Statesman, Revolutionary, Artist
THE WORLD LOST a legendary statesman this week. After spending 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) defeated generations of white minority rule when he was elected South Africa’s first black president, serving from 1994 to 1999. A standard-bearer for peace and reconciliation, Mandela died on Dec. 5 at the age of 95. Following a...
Lorna Simpson: Heady Portraits on Paper
THE CLASSIC BLUE matte-finish cover masks the wonder beyond. “Lorna Simpson: Works on Paper” is an enchanting march of portraits. It’s like a year book capturing various eras, page-after-page of watercolor images, painted by an artist with plenty to say. There are graphite, ink and watercolor portraits of women, images of heads with flourishes of...
Before ’12 Years a Slave,’ ‘Roots’ Captured American Audiences
IN MUCH THE SAME WAY moviegoers are praising and discussing “12 Years a Slave” today, more than 36 years ago, American television audiences were engaged with the ABC miniseries “Roots.” It was appointment television for eight consecutive evenings beginning Sunday, Feb. 23, 1977. Granted, Steve McQueen’s new film has been lauded for its Oscar-worthy performances,...
Benny Andrews: The People’s Painter
Benny Andrews in 1982, detail of photo by Kathy Mims (page 120). Today would have been the artist’s 83rd birthday. | Reproduced from “Benny Andrews: There Must Be a Heaven” AN EXPRESSIVE COLLAGE TECHNIQUE introduces both tactile and narrative dimensions to the canvases of Benny Andrews (1930-2006). Evoking a tangible sense of pride, strength...
A ‘Freestyle’ Take on Post-Black Art
SINCE ITS FOUNDING in 1968, The Studio Museum in Harlem has been identifying and nurturing talented black artists, the next big names in contemporary art. Through its exhibitions and coveted residency program, countless accomplished black artists can point to a connection with the museum as a turning point in their careers—from Fred Wilson and Kara...
Negro Digest Publishes Charles White’s ‘Images of Dignity’
WITH MASTERFUL STROKES, Charles White (1918-1979) captured the strength, character and complexity of African Americans in dramatic charcoal illustrations. When his Social Realist images were published in a book for the first time in 1967, Negro Digest promoted it. In an un-bylined article, the magazine featured a portfolio of Charles White’s drawings from “Images...
Jacob Lawrence Makes Publishing History
TUCKED AMONG A SERIES of reports on the automobile industry and articles on wind energy, Africa and geopolitics, the November 1941 issue of Fortune magazine features a portfolio of 26 paintings by Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000). Eight pages are devoted to “The Migration of the Negro,” his series depicting the great migration of black Americans from...
Black Artists Join Powerhouse Galleries
ART CRITIC JERRY SALTZ recently expressed his frustration with Gagosian, Pace, Hauser & Wirth and David Zwirner galleries in New York magazine, describing the four mega dealers as overwhelming behemoths causing much consternation in the art world. In the course of breaking down the situation, one of his most fascinating anecdotes involved artist Mark...
Kara Walker: Potential Book Covers for Missing Narratives
AN ARTIST WHOSE WORK garners as much praise for its visual dexterity as it does intellectual debate for its historic and cultural provocation, Kara Walker has moved on from images of slavery and the antebellum South to explore symbols of the New Negro era. The newly published “Kara Walker: Dust Jackets for the Niggerati” complements...
For TV Guide, Romare Bearden Interprets the New NFL Season
TIME WAS, TV GUIDE WAS A FIXTURE in American family rooms across the country. Known for engaging artists to illustrate its covers, in anticipation of the 1977 NFL football season, the weekly guide of television listings turned to Romare Bearden (1911-1988) to render its cover. As a result, the work of one of America’s...
Romare Bearden, Spiral Group and the March Toward Artistic Identity
WHO IS THE NEGRO ARTIST and what is his responsibility? Ever mindful of the pivotal period in which he was living, Romare Bearden (1911-1988) set about answering these cultural questions by bringing together the Spiral group and embarking on a monumental effort to document the canon of African American artists. As civil rights leaders prepared...
