Baltimore Museum of Art Swaps Works by Warhol, Kline, Noland, and Rauschenberg for Acquisitions by Whitten, Sherald, Mutu, and Yiadom-Boakye
“9.11.01”by Jack Whitten is one of seven acquisitions made with proceeds from the deaccessioned works. COMMITTED TO DIVERSIFYING its holdings, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) announced major acquisitions by prominent artists of African descent, including the first works by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Isaac Julien, Amy Sherald, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye to enter the museum’s...
Latest News in African American Art: Nina Simone Home Declared National Treasure, Exhibition Labels Note Ties to Slavery, Sondra Perry Wins Toby Prize & More
When Nina Simone’s childhood home was in danger of demolition, four prominent artists bought it for $95,000. The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: NEWS Artists Adam Pendleton, Ellen Gallagher, Rashid Johnson, and Julie Mehretu came together...
Following a Series of Feminist Art Exhibitions, Brooklyn Museum Announces 96 Acquisitions, Including works by Betye Saar, Beverly Buchanan, and Emma Amos
The acquisitions included “Untitled (Frustula Series),” a circa 1978 cast concrete sculpture by Beverly Buchanan. THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM recently organized more than a year of exhibitions and programming dedicated to feminist art. “A Year of Yes: Reimagining Feminism at the Brooklyn Museum” marked the 10th anniversary of the museum’s Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for...
Cleveland Museum of Art Has Acquired a Significant Painting by Emma Amos
TWO EARLY PAINTINGS by Emma Amos are featured in “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85” (April 21–Sept. 17, 2017), the groundbreaking group exhibition organized by the Brooklyn Museum. “Sandy and Her Husband” and “Flower Sniffer,” a 1966 self-portrait by Amos, are displayed side-by-side in the show. After the Brooklyn Museum recently announced...
Mona Lisa, Baby: Beyoncé and Jay-Z Take Over the Louvre in New Video
FOR THEIR LATEST VIDEO, Beyoncé and Jay-Z took over the Louvre, stunting and styling through the galleries without a tourist in sight. The Paris museum played host to the Carters who dropped a surprise album on Saturday. The nine-track collaborative project is titled “Everything is Love” and both artists appear on every track including...
British Artist Anthea Hamilton Has Joined Thomas Dane Gallery in London
Anthea Hamilton lives and works in London. THOMAS DANE GALLERY recently announced its representation of Anthea Hamilton. The British multidisciplinary artist, whose practice is defined by wit and rigor, was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2016. More recently, she was selected to present the 2018 Tate Britain Commission, which is currently on display...
David Zwirner Announced its Worldwide Representation of the Roy DeCarava Estate
THE ESTATE OF AMERICAN ARTIST Roy DeCarava (1919–2009) is now represented worldwide by David Zwirner gallery. DeCarava trained as a painter and draftsman, before dedicating his career to photography in the mid-1940s. Through his lens, images of modern life in New York City were defined by light and shadow. The photographer’s best-known project is...
Latest News in African American Art: Nationwide Campaign Will Fund Political Billboards, Julie Mehretu Joins SFMOMA Board, Henry Taylor Wins De Niro Prize
For Freedoms launched a nationwide crowd-sourcing campaign to fund artist-designed billboards for display in advance of the 2018 midterm elections in the United States. The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: NEWS The Brodsky Center, a collaborative...
Maren Hassinger is Now Represented by Susan Inglett Gallery
SUSAN INGLETT GALLERY announced its representation of Maren Hassinger today. The news comes the week after the artist’s exhibition, “Maren Hassinger: As One,” concluded at the gallery. The show featured recent works examining issues of equality. “Love” was made with hundreds of pink plastic bags, inflated with “breath” and containing love notes. Another work,...
British Artist Steve McQueen’s Latest Film is a Heist Thriller Starring Viola Davis
Viola Davis leads an ensemble cast in Steve McQueen’s latest film “Widows.” | Screenshot from Trailer A DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, screenwriter, and video artist, Steve McQueen has a dual career making movies for museums and movies for the cineplex. In the art world, recent video installations have included “End Credits,” an homage to Paul Robeson,...
Artistic Director Okwui Enwezor Steps Down From Haus der Kunst Museum Due to Health Reasons
Okwui Enwezor served as artistic director of the 56th Venice Biennale (2015). His global perspective and influence have played a significant role in transforming the contemporary art world INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED curator and critic Okwui Enwezor announced on Monday that he is leaving the Haus der Kunst due to health reasons. He had been...
Cuban-Born Artist Ricardo Brey is Now Represented by Alexander Gray Associates, First Solo Show in New York Slated for 2019
Born in Havana, Cuba, Ricardo Brey lives and works in Ghent, Belgium. | Courtesy Alexander Grey Associates MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST Ricardo Brey has joined Alexander Gray Associates in New York. Brey’s research-oriented practice explores the roots of who we are—the origins of humanity, the intersection of nature and culture, and how we understand our place...
The Week in African American Art: 7 Board Resignations at Chicago’s DuSable Museum, Naima Keith is Co-Organizing Prospect.5 in New Orleans, VMFA Acquisitions & More
NEWS | Seven members have resigned from the DuSable Museum of African American History board of trustees in Chicago. The departures include the chair and two vice chairs. The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related culture: NEWS Seven...
Corcoran Collection Art Goes to Howard University, and Smithsonian African American and Anacostia Museums
Sam Gilliam’s 1969 painting, “Light Depth” will be added to the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. | Courtesy Corcoran Collection THE REMAINING ART from the Corcoran Gallery of Art has been distributed. More than 10,750 works were given away. Nearly all of it went to 22 institutions in Washington, D.C. The...
The Week in African American Art: Designer Gail Anderson Recognized by Cooper Hewitt, Artist Kapwani Kiwanga Presents Frieze Commission & More
Gail Anderson of New York received the Cooper Hewitt Design Award for Lifetime Achievement. | Photo by Declan Van Welie; Paris-based Kapwani Kiwanga won the first Frieze Artist Award in New York. | Photo by Bertille-Chérot The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African...
Archibald Motley’s Favorite Painting, a Portrait of His Grandmother, Has Entered the Collection of the National Gallery of Art
A SELECTION OF PAINTINGS OF WOMEN IN WHITE is displayed in the American Galleries in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Portraits by artists including Gilbert Stuart, Cecilia Beaux, Whistler, George Bellows, Winslow Homer, and John Singer Sargent are among the group. Stuart’s rendering of Catherine Brass Yates...
Overlooked: The Smithsonian Acquired a Portrait of Henrietta Lacks, the Latest Effort to Recognize Her Legacy in Medical Science
KADIR NELSON, “Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine,” 2017 (oil on linen). | Collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group LLC CERVICAL CANCER CLAIMED THE LIFE of Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951), an African American woman who...
Acquisitions by Glenn Ligon, McArthur Binion, and Toyin Ojih Odutola are Driving Conversations Around Race and History at Mississippi Museum of Art
GLENN LIGON, “Condition Report,” 2000 THE MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF ART in Jackson, Miss., is encouraging constructive conversations about racial equity through contemporary art. A slate of new acquisitions, including works by African American artists Glenn Ligon, Benny Andrews (1930-2006), and McArthur Binion, a native of Macon, Miss., supports the museum’s commitment to engaging the...
Artist Barkley L. Hendricks Received a Posthumous Faculty Award From Connecticut College Where He Taught for Nearly Four Decades
EMERITUS PROFESSOR Barkley L. Hendricks (1945-2017) received the inaugural President’s Award for Creative Impact from Connecticut College on May 2. He was among five faculty members recognized by President Katherine Bergeron for demonstrating excellence and innovation in research, teaching and leadership. Hendricks is the first to be honored with the new Impact award which...
Charles White’s ‘Love Letter’ for Angela Davis Featured on Forthcoming 2019 African American Art Calendar
CHARLES WHITE, “Love Letter,” 1971 SHORTLY AFTER ‘CHARLES WHITE: A RETROSPECTIVE’ opens at the Art Institute of Chicago, a 2019 wall calendar will be released featuring his work. Published by Pomegranate in collaboration with the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), the African American art calendar features Charles White‘s “Love Letter” (1971) on the...
