Deana Lawson Photographed Rihanna For New Issue of Garage Magazine and Told Arthur Jafa Her Origin Story
FANS OF RIHANNA will be thrilled to see her on another magazine cover. This latest one is photographed by Deana Lawson, a black female artist with a distinct approach to capturing her subjects, usually ordinary people in their everyday surroundings. Admirers of Lawson will be doubly appreciative. Garage Issue 15 is manna for Lawson...
Carrie Mae Weems Photographed Spike Lee for Time Magazine
Spike Lee photographed by Carrie Mae Weems SPIKE LEE was on Martha’s Vineyard in July. He was there to film scenes for season two of his Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It,” hang out with a reporter writing about him for Time magazine, and have a portrait made by artist Carrie Mae Weems. Lee...
Inspired by Charles White, Kadir Nelson Delivers Last-Minute Aretha Franklin Cover for The New Yorker
A FEW HOURS after Aretha Franklin died yesterday morning, Kadir Nelson delivered an illustration of the Queen of Soul that will grace the cover of The New Yorker magazine’s Aug. 27 issue. The emotional illustration depicts Franklin in profile. Wearing a choir robe, her head is thrown back as she belts out a song....
Cover Stars: For its September Fall Fashion Issues, Vogue is all About Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Making Long-Overdue History
FOR THE FIRST TIME in its 126-year history, a black photographer is shooting the cover of American Vogue, and not just any issue, the all-important fall fashion issue. The long overdue milestone is happening at the behest of Beyoncé, who will grace the magazine’s September cover. She selected Tyler Mitchell, a young photographer, originally...
After Acquiring 80+ Images by Gordon Parks, Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean Pose for Portrait Intended as Homage to the Pioneering Photographer
THE LATEST EDITION of Cultured Magazine features Alicia Keys-Dean and Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean. The married couple posed for their first-ever cover together for the magazine’s July/August 2018 issue. In the accompanying article by Rebecca Bengal, the increasingly influential art collectors and music industry powerhouses discuss their relationship with each other, their connections with...
Fresh From Art School, Illustrator Loveis Wise Lands New Yorker Cover
The cover for the New Yorker’s new fiction issue is illustrated by Loveis Wise. THE LATEST EDITION of The New Yorker features a black mother and child on the cover. The image by Loveis Wise illustrates the magazine’s new Fiction Issue, a double issue dated June 4 and June 11. Wise, who graduated from...
Kadir Nelson Channels Nostalgic Brooklyn with Stickball Cover for The New Yorker
“Stickball Alley” by Kadir Nelson THERE IS A REAL SENSE OF NOSTALGIA in Kadir Nelson‘s image of a young African American boy in a striped shirt and blue cap emblazoned with a “B.” Holding a stick drawn back toward his right shoulder, he stares intently awaiting the pitch of the ball. In the background,...
The Atlantic Explores Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy Through a Contemporary Lens, with Contributions From Artists LaToya Ruby Frazier and Kara Walker
KARA WALKER, “Dr. King,” 2015 THE YEAR 2018 coincides with many historic milestones. It’s been a half century since the Studio Museum in Harlem was founded, the Chicago artist collective AFRICOBRA was formed, Olympic track athletes raised their fists at the Mexico City games in a stand for racial justice, and the Kerner Commission...
New Artforum Editor Describes Kia LaBeija as ‘An Artist I Immediately Needed Know’
AN AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHIC SELF-PORTRAIT by Kia LaBeija covers the January issue of Artforum. LaBeija is a young African American artist who describes her practice as exploring “her personal narrative and the relationship between space, trauma, and the female body.” David Velasco, the new editor of Artforum, says he saw LaBeija’s work for the first...
Meeting of Minds: Times Style Magazine Brings Together Jay Z, Artist Henry Taylor, and Editor Dean Baquet
JAY Z IS FEATURED on the latest cover of T magazine, the New York Times style publication. A painting by Henry Taylor,—a portrait of the rapper, music mogul, and business man—illustrates a wide-ranging interview conducted by Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the Times. The newspaper’s top editor doesn’t often stray from his leadership...
Jordan Casteel’s Portraits Bring Visibility to Black Men in Harlem
BIGGIE SMALLS APPEARS ON THE COVER of the latest edition of Frieze magazine. The slain rapper is wearing one of his signature Cosby sweaters, a gold chain and dark shades. His image is emblazoned on a red hoodie worn by Quentin, an African American man who is the subject of a painting by Jordan...
Annual List of Top 100 Art World Power Players Includes Notable Rankings for Thelma Golden, African American Artists
From left, Curator Thelma Golden. | Photo © Julie Skarratt; Artist Kara Walker. | Photo by Paul Zimmerman, Getty Images THELMA GOLDEN IS THE EIGHTH most powerful person in the art world, according to Art Review. The London-based international contemporary art magazine published its 2017 Power 100 list of the most influential figures in...
Artforum: Powerful Clenched Fist Sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett Graces November Cover
THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT was about strength, community, black identity and self determination. All of these characteristics are present in “Black Unity” by Elizabeth Catlett. Created in 1968, Catlett’s powerful, wood sculpture covers of the latest issue of Artforum magazine. It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks at Artforum. Knight Landesman, one of its...
WSJ. Magazine Recognizes Mark Bradford’s Banner Year with 2017 Innovator Award
ART SHOULD GET RIGHT UP IN YOUR FACE. “A good art work should rush out so close up to you that you are so uncomfortable. It should just rush out and get in your face,” Mark Bradford says in a new WSJ. The Wall Street Journal Magazine video. He talks about how America is...
