Photograph by Broomberg & Chanarin via Time
TIME MAGAZINE ANNOUNCED its annual assessment of the 100 Most Influential People and artist Kerry James Marshall made the list. The 2017 roundup of people at the forefront of ideas, innovation, power and change, includes major figures in five categories—pioneers, artists, leaders, titans, and icons.
Pope Francis, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Congressman and civil rights legend John Lewis, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, architect David Adjaye, Melinda Gates, and Chance the Rapper made the list. Chicago-based Marshall is among the artists, a group of 17 also featuring author Colson Whitehead; actor, rapper, and TV series creator Donald Glover; musicians John Legend and Alicia Keys; and film directors Ava DuVernay and Barry Jenkins.
“Mastry,” Marshall’s 35-year survey exhibition is currently on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. His Time 100 tribute was contributed by Grant Hill, the former NBA player and collector of African American art.
“For too long, the contributions of black people in American society have been ignored, marginalized and denied. Kerry James Marshall confirms and confronts those depictions and omissions with artistic flair, portraying everyday events in black lives,” Hill wrote. “He forces people to assess the American experience through the black experience. In so doing, he has established himself not only among the giants of the black art milieu, but as one of the most influential American artists anywhere.”
“[Kerry James Marshall] forces people to assess the American experience through the black experience. In so doing, he has established himself not only among the giants of the black art milieu, but as one of the most influential American artists anywhere.” — Grant Hill
Featuring more than 70 paintings, “Mastry” has garnered critical praise since it opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in April 2016 and traveled to The Met Breuer last fall. Since the exhibition has been on view, Marshall has received a number of other recognitions, in addition to appearing on Time’s 100 List.
Marshall’s work appeared on the covers of Artforum (January 2017) and Flash Art (September/October 2016) magazines. He was named a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago magazine. In October, Marshall was selected by the New York Times “T” magazine, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, among seven Greats “redefining our culture.” CT
BOOKSHELF
“Kerry James Marshall: Mastry,” a comprehensive, cloth-covered catalog was published to accompany the exhibition and includes essays by the curators and writings by Marshall on a range of topics, from his Rythm Mastr comic series to artists Mickalene Thomas and Horace Pippin. An extensive interview with Marshall by curator appears in the exhibition catalog “Painting and Other Stuff.” “Kerry James Marshall: Look See” coincided with the artists’s first exhibition with David Zwirner gallery in London in 2014.
