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An essential resource focused on visual art from a Black perspective, Culture Type explores the intersection of art, history, and culture

Exhibitions
On View: 'Shinique Smith: Parade' at Florida's Ringling Museum Presents Contemporary American Sculptures in Dialogue With Historic European Art

On View: ‘Shinique Smith: Parade’ at Florida’s Ringling Museum Presents Contemporary American Sculptures in Dialogue With Historic European Art

“Mitumba Deity II” by Shinique Smith installed in the Astor Salon gallery, The Ringling Museum of Art. | Courtesy Ringling Museum of Art   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   GIVING CONTEXT, highlighting connections, and challenging accepted art histories, recent museum exhibitions have presented works by contemporary Black artists in dialogue with historic...
New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Feature Works by Artists Trenton Doyle Hancock, Kara Walker, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Terry Adkins, and Elias Sime

New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Feature Works by Artists Trenton Doyle Hancock, Kara Walker, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Terry Adkins, and Elias Sime

WHAT TO SEE IN NEW YORK? Five solo exhibitions explore the unexpected. Best known for her monochromatic cut-paper silhouettes, Kara Walker’s latest show features a few dozen watercolors produced in a spectrum of color. New collage paintings made by Trenton Doyle Hancock explore satirical narratives with his superhero character confronting Philip Guston’s Klan figures. Also...
On View: 'Beverly McIver: Entangled' at Berry Campbell Gallery in New York Presents Emotional, Truth-Telling Portraits

On View: ‘Beverly McIver: Entangled’ at Berry Campbell Gallery in New York Presents Emotional, Truth-Telling Portraits

BEVERLY MCIVER, Entangled #1, 2024 (oil on canvas, 60 x 96 inches / 152.4 x 243.8 cm). | © Beverly McIver   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   ARTISTS OFTEN SPEAK about the need be seen, represented, and have a voice. Beverly McIver (b. 1962) takes it a step further. She is candid...
Election 2024: Museums Serving as Voting Sites Are Also Presenting Exhibitions of Elizabeth Catlett, Tyler Mitchell, and Other African American Artists

Election 2024: Museums Serving as Voting Sites Are Also Presenting Exhibitions of Elizabeth Catlett, Tyler Mitchell, and Other African American Artists

THE 2024 CAMPAIGN FOR THE PRESIDENCY is historic in many respects. Democracy and freedom are on the ballot and the United States may elect its first female president. The attention of the world is on Tuesday’s election. Museums are engaged in the election, too. Election Day (Nov. 5) is upon us with schools, libraries, community...
On View: 'Devin B. Johnson: Ritual of Welcome' Exhibition Features New Figurative and Abstract Paintings at Nicodim Gallery in Los Angeles

On View: ‘Devin B. Johnson: Ritual of Welcome’ Exhibition Features New Figurative and Abstract Paintings at Nicodim Gallery in Los Angeles

DEVIN B. JOHNSON, “Cluster,” 2024 (oil on linen, 60 x 62 inches / 152 x 157 cm). | © Devin B. Johnson. Courtesy the artist and Nicodim. Photo by Yubo Dong / ofstudio photography   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   FOR HIS FIFTH SOLO EXHIBITION with Nicodim Gallery, Devin B. Johnson (b....
History Maker: 'Amy Sherald: American Sublime' Will Be First Solo Exhibition of a Black Female Artist at Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery

History Maker: ‘Amy Sherald: American Sublime’ Will Be First Solo Exhibition of a Black Female Artist at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery

AMY SHERALD, “A God Blessed Land (Empire of Dirt),” 2022 (oil on linen, 96 1/8 x 130 1/8 inches). | Tymure Collection, © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo by Joseph Hyde   THE LARGEST-EVER EXHIBITION of Amy Sherald (b. 1973) opens in November at the San Francisco Museum of Modern...
On View: First International Institutional Survey of Noah Davis Now Open in Germany, Will Travel to London and Los Angeles, Where the Late Artist Was Based

On View: First International Institutional Survey of Noah Davis Now Open in Germany, Will Travel to London and Los Angeles, Where the Late Artist Was Based

NOAH DAVIS, “The Missing Link 4,” 2013 (oil on canvas, 78 x 86 1/4 inches / 198.1 x 219.1 cm). | Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by AHAN: Studio Forum, 2013 Art Here and Now purchase. © The Estate of Noah Davis. Courtesy The Estate of Noah Davis and David...
Next Spring: Major Mid-Career Survey of Rashid Johnson Will Unfold Throughout the Grand Rotunda of Guggenheim Musuem

Next Spring: Major Mid-Career Survey of Rashid Johnson Will Unfold Throughout the Grand Rotunda of Guggenheim Musuem

RASHID JOHNSON, “Untitled Escape Collage,” 2018 (ceramic tile, mirror tile, branded red oak flooring, vinyl, spray enamel, oil stick, black soap, and wax, 97 × 121 × 2 1/4 inches / 246.4 × 307.3 × 5.7 cm). | Image courtesy the artist © Rashid Johnson, 2024. Photo by Martin Parsekian   A MAJOR TRAVELING SURVEY...
On View: 'Tau Lewis: Spirit Level' at ICA Boston Features Handcrafted Monumental Beings Drawn From 'Black Geographies'

On View: ‘Tau Lewis: Spirit Level’ at ICA Boston Features Handcrafted Monumental Beings Drawn From ‘Black Geographies’

Installation view of “Tau Lewis: Spirit Level,” Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 2024. | Photo by Mel Taing, Courtesy ICA Boston   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   SINCE CHILDHOOD, Tau Lewis (b. 1993) has collected materials and artifacts imbued with history and personal meaning. Pulling from this assiduously assembled library, Lewis creates soft...
On View: 'Firelei Báez: A Midnight's Dream,' Immersive Presentation at South London Gallery is Artist's First Institutional Solo Exhibition in UK

On View: ‘Firelei Báez: A Midnight’s Dream,’ Immersive Presentation at South London Gallery is Artist’s First Institutional Solo Exhibition in UK

Installation view of “Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream),” 2024. South London Gallery, London, UK | Photo by Above Ground, Courtesy South London Gallery   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   THE CAPTIVATING WORK of Firelei Báez (b. 1981) is an exercise in world building. Engaging with mythology, folklore, and...
Exhibiting Forgiveness: Stirring Paintings by Titus Kaphar Inspired Artist's Debut Film and Feature in Forthcoming Gallery Exhibition

Exhibiting Forgiveness: Stirring Paintings by Titus Kaphar Inspired Artist’s Debut Film and Feature in Forthcoming Gallery Exhibition

Trailer: Written and directed by Titus Kaphar, “Exhibiting Forgiveness” reflects the artist’s life, reconnecting with his father after 15 years, and prominently features his paintings. The film is set to open in theaters in Oct. 18, 2024. | Video by Roadside Flix   THE STIRRING PAINTINGS OF Titus Kaphar (b. 1976) and the artist’s own...
Teiger Foundation Awarded More Than $4 Million in Grants to Dozens of Curators, Funding Many Exhibitions and Projects Focused on African American Artists

Teiger Foundation Awarded More Than $4 Million in Grants to Dozens of Curators, Funding Many Exhibitions and Projects Focused on African American Artists

CRENSHAW DAIRY MART | Opening Reception, “JUICE WOOD: I Could Show You..,” Crenshaw Dairy Mart, Inglewood, Calif. (Sept. 24–29, 2023), Presented as part of The Crenshaw Dairy Mart Fellowship For Abolition And The Advancement of the Creative Economy (CDM-FAACE). | Courtesy the artist and Crenshaw Dairy Mart, Photo by Angel Xotlanihua / Elon Schoenholz  ...
Tavares Strachan Centers Underknown Black History and Unsung Heroes, His First Mid-Career Survey 'Offers Revelatory Lessons That Profoundly Shift Our View of the World'

Tavares Strachan Centers Underknown Black History and Unsung Heroes, His First Mid-Career Survey ‘Offers Revelatory Lessons That Profoundly Shift Our View of the World’

Installation view of “Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere,” Hayward Gallery, London, UK, 2024. Shown, TAVARES STRACHAN, “Ruin of a Giant (Marcus Garvey),” 2024. | Photo by Mark Blower, Courtesy the artist and Hayward Gallery   A FORMIDABLE SCULPTURE of Black Nationalist Marcus Garvey’s head is stationed out front of Hayward Gallery at Southbank Centre...
'David C. Driskell and Friends' Presents Works by Some of the Most Significant Figures in Modern and Contemporary African American Art

‘David C. Driskell and Friends’ Presents Works by Some of the Most Significant Figures in Modern and Contemporary African American Art

DAVID C. DRISKELL, “Five Blue Notes,” 1980 (painting, 22.50 x 29.50 inches). | Gift of Nene Humphrey from the Benny Andrews and Nene Humphrey Collection, 2010.06.020. © David C. Driskell / David C. Driskell Center, 2017, Photography by Greg Staley, 2018   AN ARTIST, CURATOR, AND SCHOLAR, David C. Driskell (1931-2020) is a foundational figure...
Carolyn Mazloomi's Quilt Designs Focus on Social Justice Issues, Her Forthcoming Exhibition at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem Presents New Works

Carolyn Mazloomi’s Quilt Designs Focus on Social Justice Issues, Her Forthcoming Exhibition at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem Presents New Works

CAROLYN MAZLOOMI, “Hands Up…Don’t Shoot #2,” 2024 (poly-cotton fabric, cotton thread, cotton batting, fabric paint, 58 x 102 inches / 147.32 x 259.08 cm). | © Carolyn Mazloomi, Courtesy the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery   STORYTELLING, CRAFTSMANSHIP, and the often harsh realities of African American history co-exist in the work of Carolyn Mazloomi (b....
On View: 'When You See Me: Visibility in Contemporary Art/History' at Dallas Museum of Art Showcases Recent Acquisitions by Artists of Color, Women, and Queer Artists

On View: ‘When You See Me: Visibility in Contemporary Art/History’ at Dallas Museum of Art Showcases Recent Acquisitions by Artists of Color, Women, and Queer Artists

DEBORAH ROBERTS, “When you see me,” 2019 (mixed media and collage on canvas). | Dallas Museum of Art, TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art Fund, 2020.20. © Deborah Roberts. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   A GROUP OF SEVEN BOYS...
Arthur Jafa: 'I Think Being Black in a White Supremacist Environment is Fascinating, Often Fun, Generally Harrowing'

Arthur Jafa: ‘I Think Being Black in a White Supremacist Environment is Fascinating, Often Fun, Generally Harrowing’

ARTHUR JAFA, “Mickey Mouse was a Scorpio,” 2017 (chromogenic print mounted on aluminum, 52 × 83 inches / 132.1 × 210.8 cm). | Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Gift of Marilyn and Larry Fields, 2023.61. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen   A PROLIFERATION OF CELEBRATED Black contemporary artists focuses on figuration and portraiture and explores...
Summer Shows: 18 Museum Exhibitions Showcase Array of Black Artists, From Zanele Muholi, Frank Walter and Calida Rawles to Tyler Mitchell, Michael Thorpe & Arthur Jafa

Summer Shows: 18 Museum Exhibitions Showcase Array of Black Artists, From Zanele Muholi, Frank Walter and Calida Rawles to Tyler Mitchell, Michael Thorpe & Arthur Jafa

SOME OF SUMMER’S MOST INTERESTING museum exhibitions are historic, presenting the first institutional solo shows of artists spanning generations. The selections include the first U.S. solo museum exhibitions of Frank Walter (1926–2009) at The Drawing Center in New York, Leilah Babirye at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and Calida Rawles at Pérez Art...
Leilah Babirye's Hand-Built Ceramic and Carved Wood Sculptures are Expressive Portraits of Her LGBTQ+ Community

Leilah Babirye’s Hand-Built Ceramic and Carved Wood Sculptures are Expressive Portraits of Her LGBTQ+ Community

Installation view of “Leilah Babirye: We Have a History,” de Young Museum, San Francisco, Calif., 2024. | Photo by Gary Sexton, Courtesy de Young Museum   WORKING WITH TRADITIONAL ceramic and wood-carving methods from Western and Central Africa, Leilah Babirye (b. 1985) makes contemporary sculptures that are all her own. She produces hand-built ceramic busts...
Brothers Boscoe Holder and Geoffrey Holder Built Storied Careers in Dance and Performance With Painting Ever Present in Their Pursuit of the Arts

Brothers Boscoe Holder and Geoffrey Holder Built Storied Careers in Dance and Performance With Painting Ever Present in Their Pursuit of the Arts

GEOFFREY HOLDER, “Swimmers II,” 1986 (colored pencil on paper, 91.4 x 116.8 cm / 36 x 46 inches). | © Geoffrey Holder, Courtesy the Geoffrey Holder Estate and James Fuentes   TRUE RENAISSANCE MEN, brothers Boscoe Holder (1921-2007) and Geoffrey Holder (1930-2014) were active across multiple artistic disciplines, including dance, choreography, music, acting, and painting....