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,...
On View: ‘Ranti Bam: Anima’ at James Cohan Marks New York Debut of British Nigerian Artist Known for Sculptural Ceramics
Installation view of “Ranti Bam: Anima,” James Cohan Gallery, 291 Grand Street, New York, N.Y. (May 17-July 26, 2024). | Photo by Phoebe Dheurle On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions FOR HER FIRST EXHIBITION in New York, British Nigerian artist Ranti Bam (b. 1982) is presenting two bodies of sculptural ceramics: Abstract...
‘Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life,’ First Major Exhibition of Jamaican British Modernist Charts His Place in Art History
Ronald Moody working on “Johanaan,” 1963 (shown below). | © Val Wilmer. Photoby Val Wilmer AN EXPANSIVE LOOK at the work of Ronald Moody (1900-1984) opens this weekend at The Hepworth Wakefield in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK. Moody is one of Britain’s most highly regarded modernist sculptors. He spent time in Paris and was...
Opening Soon: ‘Patterns in Abstraction: Black Quilts from the High’s Collection’ at High Museum of Art in Atlanta
LUCY T. PETTWAY, (American, 1921–2004), “Birds in the Air,” 1981 (cotton and cotton-polyester blend). | High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Museum purchase and gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2017.70. © Estate of Lucy T. Pettway Opening Soon previews works from noteworthy, forthcoming exhibitions DRAWN FROM...
Turner Contemporary is Presenting First European Institutional Exhibition of Ed Clark, Pioneering Abstract Painter with International Profile
Installation view of “Ed Clark,” Turner Contemporary, Margate, Kent, UK (May 25–Sept. 1 2024). | © Courtesy Turner Contemporary, Photo by Thierry Bal AN ORIGINAL FIGURE in Post-War Abstraction, Ed Clark (1926-2019) is recognized for his innovation and experimentation. He made paintings distinguished by their energy, drama, and generous strokes of seductive color achieved...
‘Ernie Barnes: In Rapture’ Surveys Artist’s Key Themes, Including Sports, Southern Scenes, and ‘Good Times’
ERNIE BARNES, “Evans Family Portrait,” 1974 (acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30 inches / 61 x 76.2 cm). | Courtesy the Ernie Barnes Estate, Ortuzar Projects and Andrew Kreps Gallery. © Ernie Barnes THE FIRST EXHIBITION of Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) at Ortuzar Projects in New York surveys the late artist’s key themes, including the...
Language of Tears: First New York Solo Show of Painter Jerrell Gibbs Explores Complexity of Fatherhood at James Cohan Gallery
JERRELL GIBBS, “My worst fear is one day that you come home from school and see your father face while hearin’ about tragedy on news,” 2024 (oil, oil stick on canvas, 60 x 95 inches / 152.4 x 241.3 cm). | © Jerrell Gibbs 2024. Image courtesy the artist and James Cohan Gallery, New York....
Chair With My Hair: Major Retrospective of Arthur Simms Spans Four Decades, Exploring His Jamaican Roots, Experiences in Italy, and Use of Symbolic Materials
Installation view of “Arthur Simms: Chair with My Hair,” Kunst Museum St. Gallen, Switzerland, Feb. 10-July 7, 2024. Shown, from left, ARTHUR SIMMS, “Lucy Fradkin Meets John Delapa Or Gregor,” 1989-92 (rope, wood, glue, paint, metal and objects, 284 × 140 × 61 cm); “Mell,” 2003 (wood, rope, wire, wheels and plastic, 94 × 86...
All About Love: Mickalene Thomas Painting Covers Juxtapoz Magazine on Occasion of Artist’s International Touring Exhibition
MICKALENE THOMAS, “Afro Goddess Looking Forward,” 2015 (rhinestones, acrylic, and oil on wood panel). | © 2024 Mickalene Thomas ‘AFRO GODDESS Looking Forward’ by Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971) in many ways is representative of the artist’s practice. Both the title of the painting and its figurative image encapsulate the themes that have recurred throughout...
On View: ‘Diedrick Brackens: Blood Compass’ at Jack Shainman Gallery Presents Poetic, Painterly Weavings Made Over Past 6 Years
Installation view of DIEDRICK BRACKENS, “forks of the creek,” 2023 (cotton and acrylic yarn, 86 x 156 inches), “Diedrick Brackens: blood compass,” Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, N.Y., 2024. | © Diedrick Brackens. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions THE...
First Museum Survey of LaToya Ruby Frazier Showcases Array of Photo-Based Projects, Bringing Attention to Communities in Crisis Fighting for Basic Human Rights
LATOYA RUBY FRAZIER, Sandra Gould Ford Wearing Her Work Jacket and Hard Hat in Her Meditation Room in Homewood, PA from On the Making of Steel Genesis: Sandra Gould Ford, 2017. | © 2023 LaToya Ruby Frazier, Courtesy the artist and Gladstone gallery BLENDING PHOTOGRAPHY AND ACTIVISM, LaToya Ruby Frazier’s singular practice is political,...
On View: ‘Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century’ Features Works by William H. Johnson, Herbert Gentry, and Walter Williams at Nordic Museum in Seattle
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions WILLIAM H. JOHNSON, “Sunset, Denmark,” circa 1935-38 (oil on canvas). | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.818 A SURGE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS went to Paris in the 1920s and 30s and a second wave arrived in the post-World War II era....
On View: ‘Jean-Michel Basquiat: Made on Market Street’ at Gagosian Beverly Hills, Explores Artist’s Early 1980s Experience in Los Angeles
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions Installation view of “Jean-Michel Basquiat: Made on Market Street,” 2024, Gagosian Beverly Hills. | Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York. Photo by Jeff McLane, Courtesy Gagosian BORN IN BROOKLYN, N.Y., Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) found his footing in the New York art...
On View: ‘Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe: Hall of Fame’ at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles, Portrait Artist Explores Cultural History of Boxing in Ghana
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions Installation view of “Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe: Hall of Fame,” Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, Calif., 2024. | Courtesy the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles. Photo by Paul Salveson THE POWERFUL PORTRAITS of Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe (b. 1988) are exercises in symbolism, leaning on brilliant...
