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
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
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
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
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’
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
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
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
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’
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, “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, “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
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, “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
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
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
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....
On View: ‘Will Stovall: Kant Crisis’ at Ulrik Gallery in New York, Artist’s First-Ever Solo Exhibition is Inspired by German Philosophy
WILL STOVALL, “Circus,” 2022 (oil on canvas, walnut frame, 15 1/4 x 26 3/4 inches / 38.7 x 67.9 cm). | © Will Stovall, Courtesy the artist and Ulrik On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions FOR HIS FIRST-EVER solo exhibition, Will Stovall is presenting a series of intimately scaled paintings inspired by...
On View: ‘Sylvia Snowden: Painting Humanity’ Features Abstracted Portraits Thick With Paint and Rich With Color at UK’s Hepworth Wakefield
SYLVIA SNOWDEN, “Beverly Johnson,” 1978 (acrylic and oil pastel on Masonite, 121.9 x 243.8 cm). | © Sylvia Snowden. Courtesy Edel Assanti and Franklin Parrasch Gallery. Photo by Andy Keate On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions WASHINGTON, D.C. ARTIST Sylvia Snowden (b. 1942) is presenting her first solo institutional exhibition in Europe....
Changing the Face of Democracy: In New York, Major Museum Exhibition and Centennial Tribute Explores Life and Work of Political Trailblazer Shirley Chisholm
Installation view of “Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100,” Museum of the City of New York, New York, N.Y. (June 24, 2024-July 20, 2025). | Courtesy MCNY A POLITICAL TRAILBLAZER and historic Presidential candidate from New York, Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) ‘changed the face of democracy,’ gave a voice to ordinary citizens,...
