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An essential resource focused on visual art from a Black perspective, Culture Type explores the intersection of art, history, and culture

New York Museums are Showcasing African American Art, Exhibitions Feature Lorna Simpson, Rashid Johnson, Beauford Delaney, Amy Sherald, Black Dandyism & More

New York Museums are Showcasing African American Art, Exhibitions Feature Lorna Simpson, Rashid Johnson, Beauford Delaney, Amy Sherald, Black Dandyism & More

TOP NEW YORK MUSEUMS are presenting exhibitions of major African American artists this spring and summer with most on view through fall 2025. Solo exhibitions include the largest-ever surveys of Rashid Johnson at the Guggenheim Museum, Amy Sherald at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Jack Whitten at the...
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Okwui Enwezor Has Died at Age 55, the Visionary Curator Broadened the Geographic Scope of the Contemporary Art World

Okwui Enwezor Has Died at Age 55, the Visionary Curator Broadened the Geographic Scope of the Contemporary Art World

Okwui Enwezor (1963-2019). | Photo: Venice Biennale   A LEADING LIGHT in the art world has dimmed. Okwui Enwezor (1963-2019), the internationally renowned curator and critic who served as artistic director of the 56th Venice Biennale, died March 15 in Munich after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 55. Enwezor served as artistic director...
'Loophole of Retreat': Simone Leigh's Hugo Boss Prize Exhibition Opens at the Guggenheim April 19

‘Loophole of Retreat’: Simone Leigh’s Hugo Boss Prize Exhibition Opens at the Guggenheim April 19

  AFTER WINNING the 2018 Hugo Boss Prize in October, Simone Leigh is presenting an exhibition of new work at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Featuring a suite of sculptures and a sound installation, the show opens April 12. The Hugo Boss Prize has been awarded to 12 artists since 1996....
Recently On View: 'Glimmers Through Dark Matter' - Greg Breda and Myra Greene at Patron Gallery, New York City

Recently On View: ‘Glimmers Through Dark Matter’ – Greg Breda and Myra Greene at Patron Gallery, New York City

Installation view of “Glimmers Through Dark Matter: Greg Breda and Myra Greene”   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   PATRON GALLERY RECENTLY ORGANIZED a two-artist show in New York City. Featuring Greg Breda and Myra Greene, “Glimmers Through Dark Matter” was the first in a series of programs called PATRON | Projects—short-run exhibitions,...
Auction Debut: 'Lilith,' a Mixed-Media Figurative Painting, by Tschabalala Self Sells for Twice its Estimate at Phillips London

Auction Debut: ‘Lilith,’ a Mixed-Media Figurative Painting, by Tschabalala Self Sells for Twice its Estimate at Phillips London

  PHILLIPS OPENED its latest contemporary evening auction in London with a mixed-media painting by Tschabalala Self. According to Phillips, “Lilith” (2015) is the first artwork by the artist to come to auction. The figurative work sold for £125,000 ($163,875 including fees), which was more than twice the estimate. The lot was sold at Phillips...
Ursula Magazine: Hauser & Wirth Introduced a New Art Quarterly Featuring Linda Goode Bryant, Lorna Simpson, Amy Sherald, Senga Nengudi, and Jack Whitten

Ursula Magazine: Hauser & Wirth Introduced a New Art Quarterly Featuring Linda Goode Bryant, Lorna Simpson, Amy Sherald, Senga Nengudi, and Jack Whitten

  THE INAUGURAL ISSUE of Ursula magazine begins and ends with depictions of African American women by black female artists. The cover features a collage image of Linda Goode Bryant by Lorna Simpson. A painting by Amy Sherald illustrates the back cover the magazine. Bryant is the pioneering founder of Just Above Midtown (JAM), the...
With William L. Hawkins Exhibition Underway, Columbus Museum Announces Survey Featuring Tuskegee Photographers and New Acquisitions

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

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...
The Armory Show: A Mini Survey of Faith Ringgold's Legendary Practice is on Display at ACA Galleries

The Armory Show: A Mini Survey of Faith Ringgold’s Legendary Practice is on Display at ACA Galleries

“Black Light Series #11: US America Black” (1969) by Faith Ringgold   ACA GALLERIES is showing for the first time at The Armory Show and the storied dealer has dedicated its entire booth to Faith Ringgold. There are three paintings from her Black Light Series (1967-69) on display, graphic political prints from the early 1970s,...
2019 Venice Biennale Artist List is Out, Selection Includes Njideka Akunyili Crosby,  Arthur Jafa, Kahlil Joseph, Julie Mehretu, Zanele Muholi, and Henry Taylor

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

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...
On View: 'Derrick Adams: Interior Life' at Luxembourg & Dayan, New York City

On View: ‘Derrick Adams: Interior Life’ at Luxembourg & Dayan, New York City

“Derrick Adams: Interior Life” at Luxembourg & Dayan, NYC   On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   FOR HIS LATEST EXHIBITION, New York-based artist Derrick Adams is displaying new works on paper in a series of imagined interior environments at Luxembourg & Dayan. The gallery is housed in a tiny townhouse on the Upper...
Public Editor: Alexandra Bell Highlights Bias in the News and Rewrites Racist Headlines

Public Editor: Alexandra Bell Highlights Bias in the News and Rewrites Racist Headlines

Installation view of “A Teenager With Promise (Annotated)” (2017)   AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, the Whitney Museum of American Art announced 75 artists selected to participate in the 2019 Whitney Biennial. Among them is Alexandra Bell, an artist with a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. Rather than using her journalism degree to...
Koyo Kouoh Named Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town

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

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,”...
Artist Record: 'Special Checking' by Jack Whitten Sells for $2.6 Million at Sotheby's

Artist Record: ‘Special Checking’ by Jack Whitten Sells for $2.6 Million at Sotheby’s

  A DRAMATIC AND TRANSFIXING painting by Jack Whitten (1939-2018) set a new artist record at Sotheby’s on Friday. Whitten’s “Special Checking” (1974) sold for for $2,660,000 including fees. (The hammer price was $2.2 million.) Given Sotheby’s set the estimate for the painting at $300,000-$500,000, the sales price was about five times the high estimate....
Soaring Past $7 Million, 'Untitled (Painter)' by Kerry James Marshall is Top Seller at Sotheby's New York

Soaring Past $7 Million, ‘Untitled (Painter)’ by Kerry James Marshall is Top Seller at Sotheby’s New York

  A ROUND OF APPLAUSE emerged from the auction floor Friday afternoon when “Untitled (Painter)” by Kerry James Marshall sold for well beyond its estimate. The 2008 painting, a portrait of a distinguished black painter in her studio, was estimated by Sotheby’s to sell for $1.8 to $2.5 million. When bidding concluded, the hammer price...
The Art Show: Henry Ossawa Tanner Takes the Spotlight at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

The Art Show: Henry Ossawa Tanner Takes the Spotlight at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

“Still-Life with Fruit” (circa 1910) by Henry Ossawa Tanner   MICHAEL ROSENFELD GALLERY has a deep inventory of paintings by African American artists active primarily in the 20th century. Over the past few years, the gallery has showcased a selection at The Art Show, focusing on black male artists. Organized by the Art Dealers Association...
Lot of 38 Portraits by Malick Sidibé Tops Swann Photography Sale, Roy DeCarava Image of Harlem Dancers Sets Artist Record

Lot of 38 Portraits by Malick Sidibé Tops Swann Photography Sale, Roy DeCarava Image of Harlem Dancers Sets Artist Record

  BLACK ARTISTS LED the Photographs: Art & Visual Culture sale at Swann Auction Galleries on Feb. 21. A group of 38 silver prints in custom frames by Malick Sidibé (1936-2016) was the top lot. The photos yielded $87,500 (including fees), an artist record, according to Swann. The individual and group portraits were made by...
Tate Britain Plans Major Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Survey in 2020

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...
Black Art History: Jacob Lawrence's Narrative Series About Black Perseverance and American Rebellion Inspired a Cache of Children's Books

Black Art History: Jacob Lawrence’s Narrative Series About Black Perseverance and American Rebellion Inspired a Cache of Children’s Books

“The Last Journey,” No. 17 from the series Harriet Tubman and the Promised Land (1967) by Jacob Lawrence   OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) documented the African American experience and life in Harlem. He also tackled key moments in American history through multi-panel series. A sweeping look at the history of...