Curator Denise Murrell and Art Historian Darby English to Receive 2020 Book Awards From College Art Association
THIS WEEK IN CHICAGO, the College Art Association (CAA) is holding its annual conference (Feb. 12-15). Amanda Williams, a Chicago-based artist who trained as an architect, is serving as keynote speaker. Kellie Jones will be honored during the Distinguished Scholar Session. And Huey Copeland, a professor of art history at Northwestern University and recipient...
Columbus Museum of Art Announces Faith Ringgold, Kellie Jones, and Curlee Raven Holton Will Select Artist for 2020 Residency Honoring Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
NARRATING AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (1940-2015) worked with a variety of materials, from fabric, to paint, clay, and found materials, making two- and three-dimensional works. Her paintings, quilts, and sculpture, many of them large-scale and made over many years, explored the experiences and legacy of her family, local community, and the...
Photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier is Inaugural Recipient of Gordon Parks Foundation/Steidl Book Prize
THE GORDON PARKS FOUNDATION in Pleasantville, N.Y., provides support and opportunities to artists whose practices “reflect and extend” the legacy of Gordon Parks, using photography as a tool for social justice and cultural change. Extending its program of scholarships, awards, and fellowships, the foundation announced a new book prize established in partnership with Steidl, the...
Hirshhorn Museum Plans First U.S. Retrospective of Sam Gilliam in 15+ Years
“Light Depth” (1969) by Sam Gilliam THE HIRSHHORN MUSEUM and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., plans an expansive look at the six-decade career of pioneering abstractionist Sam Gilliam. Exploring key moments in his innovative painting practice, the retrospective will open at the Smithsonian museum on the National Mall in spring 2022. “Inspired by the...
Obama Portraits Inspire Soon-to-be-Released Book and Five-City Tour in 2021
WHEN THE OFFICIAL PORTRAITS of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery on Feb. 12, 2018, they garnered praise and endless opinions and inspired “pilgrimages” to Washington, D.C., to view them. Now the portraits by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald have inspired a five-city national tour...
Latest News in African American Art: Henry Taylor and Simone Leigh Join Hauser & Wirth, United States Artists 2020 Fellows, Made in L.A. 2020 Artist List & More
Artists Simone Leigh and Henry Taylor have joined Hauser & Wirth. The following review presents a snapshot of recent news in African American art and related black culture: REPRESENTATION One of the world’s largest galleries with nine locations (and a 10th planned in Menorca), Hauser & Wirth started off the new year with...
Zoé Whitley Tapped as Director of London’s Chisenhale Gallery
CHISENHALE GALLERY in London’s East End has hired Zoé Whitley as its next leader. An American-born curator, over nearly two decades, Whitley has built a formidable career based in London, producing insightful, innovative, and inclusive exhibitions and programming at major UK museums and galleries. Whitley has been serving as senior curator at Hayward Gallery...
Kerry James Marshall’s ‘Past Times’ Painting Was Among Stars at Lavish 50th Birthday Party of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
BEFORE HE TURNED 50, Grammy award-winning music producer, entertainment mogul, and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs bought the most expensive painting by a living African American artist at auction. Earlier this month, Combs threw himself a huge 50th birthday bash and the painting, “Past Times” (1997) by Kerry James Marshall, served as a backdrop for party...
On the Rise: 47 Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in 2019
BLACK CURATORS have risen to significant positions at important institutions in the United States and internationally over the past year. In a field where people of color have historically been underrepresented, this 2019 listing of new curatorial and arts leadership appointments demonstrates the growing influence of people of African descent in the visual arts....
Lonnie G. Bunch III Officially Installed as 14th Secretary of Smithsonian Institution
IT’S OFFICIAL. Lonnie G. Bunch III was installed as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution on Nov. 1. The ceremony was presided over by John G. Roberts Jr., chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, who serves as chancellor of the Smithsonian. Roberts presented Bunch with a ceremonial brass key, a symbolic...
Acting in Solidarity, Four Artists Including Helen Cammock and Oscar Murillo Share 2019 Turner Prize
FOR THE FIRST TIME in its 35-year history, the Turner Prize was awarded to more than one artist. Helen Cammock and Oscar Murillo were among four artists shortlisted for the British art prize. On Dec. 3, it was awarded jointly to Cammock, Murillo, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, and Tai Shani in the wake of their...
Fall Galas: Museums are Honoring the Young and Old and Bringing Artists Together Across Disciplines
IT’S GALA SEASON and museums have been hosting star-studded fetes honoring artists and raising funds to support their programs and venues. Artist Rashid Johnson was honored at Performa 19’s opening night gala, paid tribute to a fellow artist at the Dia Art Foundation, and co-chaired the Guggenheim Museum’s gala. (He serves as a trustee...
Latest News in African American Art: Guggenheim Hires First Black Curator and Names Hugo Boss Prize Finalists, de Young Museum Acquires Frank Bowling Painting
FRANK BOWLING (b. 1934), “Penumbra” (1970) (acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 8 X 23 feet). | de Young Musuem, Photo by Gary Sexton The following review presents a snapshot of recent news in African American art and related black culture: NEWS ACQUISITIONS | The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (which comprise...
11 Black Artists, Curators, Scholars and a Collector Made Art Review’s 2019 List of the Most Powerful People in the Art World
A GROUNDBREAKING REPORT published in November 2018 declared the restitution of Africa’s cultural heritage was “impossible no more.” Commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron, the document is authored by French art historian Bénédicte Savoy and Senegalese economist Felwine Sarr and examines the history, inventory, and display of ill-gotten artifacts and art objects of questionable...
Torkwase Dyson, Whose Work Grapples with Black Spacial Politics, Wins Studio Museum’s 2019 Wein Artist Prize
THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM presented the 2019 Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize to Torkwase Dyson at its annual gala this evening in New York City. The $50,000 prize is awarded annually to an African American artist recognizing exceptional “innovation, promise, and creativity.” Dyson’s interdisciplinary practice is centered around black spatial politics. She considers...
Latest News in African American Art: Gus Casely-Hayford Headed to V&A Museum, Betye Saar and Indira Allegra Win Major Artist Awards & More
Gus Casely-Hayford is the inaugural director of V&A East in London The following review presents a snapshot of recent news in African American art and related black culture: NEWS APPOINTMENT | Gus Casely-Hayford is joining the Victoria & Albert Museum in London as inaugural director of V&A East. He is heading up two...
The Week Ahead: Art World Power, Major Artist Awards, and Million Dollar Auctions
THIS IS A BIG WEEK IN ART. Wednesday evening, the Studio Museum in Harlem is announcing the winner of the annual Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize at its 2019 gala. Last year, Los Angeles-based textile artist Diedrick Brackens received the $50,000 prize. Simone Leigh won in 2017. The latest Power 100 List is also...
Latest News in African American Art: Tom Finkelpearl Abruptly Departs NYC Cultural Affairs, Okwui Enwezor’s Last Exhibition, Prospect New Orleans & More
NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl made a “surprise exit.” The following review presents a snapshot of recent news in African American art and related black culture: NEWS Big news in arts leadership. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is losing the chair of its education department. Sandra Jackson-Dumont has been named director...
Sandra Jackson-Dumont Appointed Director and CEO of Forthcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles
THE LUCAS MUSEUM of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has tapped Sandra Jackson-Dumont as its new director and CEO. Envisioned by billionaire philanthropist and legendary filmmaker George Lucas, the focus of the Lucas Museum is visual storytelling through filmmaking and a variety of other artistic mediums, including painting and photography. The museum is currently...
UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Has Acquired Nearly 3,000 Quilts by African American Artists, a Posthumous Gift From Collector Eli Leon
Untitled 1996 quilt by Rosie Lee Tompkins OVER THE COURSE of three decades, Eli Leon assembled a collection of nearly 3,000 quilts by both well-known and little-known African American artists. Leon died last year and through a posthumous bequest, the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) has acquired the unparalleled collection....
