Latest News in African American Art: Eric Mack Installation Vanishes, Harvard Sued Over Slave Photographs, Frieze Sculptures by Nick Cave, Hank Willis Thomas, and More
Installation view of “Halter” (2019) by Eric N. Mack at Desert X The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related black culture: Harvard Sued for Profiting From Images of Slaves Tamara Lanier of Norwich, Conn., is suing Harvard for “wrongful...
Early Photograph of Harriet Tubman Displayed Publicly for First Time at Smithsonian African American Museum
A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN photograph of Harriet Tubman (c. 1822-1913) depicts her seated with her arm draped over the back of a chair. Impeccably dressed, she wears a full skirt and buttoned bodice with detailed stitching on the sleeves. Believed to be the earliest image of Tubman in existence, the portrait of the storied abolitionist...
LeRonn P. Brooks Named Associate Curator at Getty Research Institute, Newly Created Position is Part of African American Art History Initiative
THE GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (GRI) in Los Angeles announced a new hire today. LeRonn P. Brooks has been appointed associate curator for Modern and Contemporary Collections, specializing in African American art. Brooks is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Lehman College in The Bronx, New York. At the Getty, he...
Prospect New Orleans Announces 2020 Dates, Appoints Director’s Council, Including Gia Hamilton, Courtney J. Martin, Valerie Cassel Oliver, and Franklin Sirmans
THE FIFTH EDITION of Prospect New Orleans officially opens to the public Oct. 24, 2020 and runs through Jan. 24, 2021. The triennial will feature artists from around the world and engage resources throughout New Orleans—the cultural community, arts institutions, and local sites. Prospect.5 is led by curators Naima J. Keith and Diana Nawi....
PAFA Receives Gift of 78 Artworks From Constance E. Clayton, Many by Artists with Ties to Philadelphia
PAINTINGS BY BEAUFORD DELANEY, Edward Bannister, Lois Mailou Jones, and Laura Wheeler Waring have been added to the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. The works are part of a major gift from Constance E. Clayton, an arts advocate and former superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia....
With William L. Hawkins Exhibition Underway, Columbus Museum Announces Survey Featuring Tuskegee Photographers and New Acquisitions
THE COLUMBUS MUSEUM in Columbus, Ga., focuses on art and history, and one of its current exhibitions, “William L. Hawkins: An Imaginative Geography,” explores aspects of both. William L. Hawkins (1895-1990) was a self-taught artist who lived in Columbus, Ohio. Born in Kentucky, he moved to the Midwest city when he was 21. Best...
Latest News in African American Art: Lauren Halsey, Kapwani Kiwanga, and Christina Quarles Win Artist Awards & More
The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related black culture: Christina Quarles Named Inaugural Pérez Prize Recipient The Pérez Art Museum Miami announced Los Angeles-based artist Christina Quarles is the recipient of the first annual Perez Prize. Funded by The Jorge...
2019 Venice Biennale Artist List is Out, Selection Includes Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Arthur Jafa, Kahlil Joseph, Julie Mehretu, Zanele Muholi, and Henry Taylor
AN INTERNATIONAL SLATE of 79 artists has been selected to participate in the main exhibition at the 58th Venice Biennale. This year’s edition of the international exhibition is titled “May You Live in Interesting Times” and is curated by Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery in London. The 2019 Venice Biennale is May...
Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi Appointed Curator in Painting and Sculpture Department at Museum of Modern Art
THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA) has hired Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi. He is joining the New York City museum as the first Steven and Lisa Tananbaum Curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture. Nzewi will be involved with all aspects of the department’s planning, programming, and scholarship, including acquisitions, developing exhibitions and catalogs, and...
Koyo Kouoh Named Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town
THE LARGEST CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM in Africa has hired a new leader. The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) announced the appointment of Koyo Kouoh, who will serve as executive director and chief curator of the Cape Town, South Africa, museum. An international curator and cultural producer, Kouoh brings two decades of...
Latest News in African American Art: Hank Willis Thomas Designing King Memorial, History of Racism at MICA, Ghana and South Africa at Venice Biennale & More
Rendering of “The Embrace” designed by Hank Willis Thomas with MASS Design Group. | Courtesy King Boston The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related black culture: Hank Willis Thomas Selected to Design King Memorial in Boston “The Embrace,”...
Tate Britain Plans Major Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Survey in 2020
“The Generosity” (2010) by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye THE FIRST MAJOR SURVEY of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will be presented at Tate Britain next year. Spanning Yiadom-Boakye’s entire career to date, the monographic survey will be on view from May to August 2020. Known for her timeless portraits of fictional characters, Yiadom-Boakye made the shortlist for the Turner...
After Making California African American Museum Relevant Again, Naima J. Keith is Leaving for LACMA
THREE YEARS INTO HER TENURE as deputy director and chief curator at the California African American Museum, Naima J. Keith is heading to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Keith has been named vice president of education and public programs at LACMA. She begins her new post April 1. “It’s a great time...
Oklahoma City Museum Acquires Kehinde Wiley Portrait Commissioned for Recent St. Louis Exhibition, Subject Proudly Dons ‘Ferguson’ Cap
“Jacob de Graeff” (2018) by Kehinde Wiley THE LATEST ADDITION to the collection of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art is “Jacob de Graeff,” a large-scale portrait by Kehinde Wiley. Brincel Kape’li Wiggins Jr., is the subject of “Jacob de Graeff.” He wears a cap with “Ferguson,” the neighborhood where Michael Brown was killed...
Latest News in African American Art: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Moving to Chicago, Theaster Gates x Prada, Major Kerry James Marshall Painting in Detroit & More
“Souvenir II” (1997) by Kerry James Marshall The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related black culture: Seattle Gallerist Mariane Ibrahim is Headed to Chicago After operating her eponymous gallery in Seattle for seven years, Mariane Ibrahim has decided...
In New Multiyear Partnership, Studio Museum in Harlem Will Present Exhibitions at MoMA and MoMA PS1
Thelma Golden is organizing a solo show of painter Michael Armitage at MoMA in fall 2019. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s exhibition programming is the annual group show presenting new work by budding artists in its Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program. Each cohort mounts a show at the conclusion of its...
High Museum of Art Awards 2019 David C. Driskell Prize to Scholar Huey Copeland
THE LATEST RECIPIENT of the David C. Driskell Prize is scholar Huey Copeland. The High Museum of Art in Atlanta announced today the Northwestern University art historian is the winner of the 2019 prize, which includes a $25,000 cash award. Copeland will be honored on April 26 at a celebratory dinner at the museum. Copeland’s...
Mellon Foundation Issues Report on Art Museum Diversity, Findings Show Significant Progress for African American Curators
Los Angeles County Museum of Art HISTORICALLY, THE U.S. MUSEUM FIELD has lacked diversity, with African Americans significantly underrepresented. A 2015 Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation found 84 percent of art museum curators, educators, conservators, and leadership was white. People of color (blacks/African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and those...
Latest News in African American Art: Rashid Johnson’s ‘Native Son’ Acquired by HBO, David Hammons Exhibition Planned at Hauser & Wirth L.A. & More
Director Rashid Johnson at Sundance The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: Prioritizing Museum Board Diversity The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is launching a three-year, $4 million initiative designed to diversify museum boards and leadership. A...
Latest News in African American Art: Aaron Fowler Wins Jacob Lawrence Prize, US Artists Fellows, Adrian Piper Exhibition Cancelled in Munich & More
Portrait of artist Aaron Fowler, and “Derion,” 2018 by Folwer. The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: Jacob Lawrence Prize Announced The Seattle Art Museum announced assemblage artist Aaron Fowler is the recipient of the 2019 Gwendolyn...
