Auction Record: ‘Six Birds in the Bush’ by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Reached $3.6 Million at Sotheby’s London, Nearly Doubling Artist’s Previous High Mark
PORTRAYING A MAN who appears to have just turned his reluctant, yet penetrating gaze to the viewer, “Six Birds in the Bush” (2015) by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye set a new auction record for the British-Ghanaian artist at The Now Evening Auction at Sotheby’s London on Oct. 13. Bidding started at 850,000 pounds and blew past...
Theaster Gates Will Receive 2023 Vincent Scully Prize From National Building Museum, Honor Celebrates Excellence in Architecture, Historic Preservation, and Urban Design
Theaster Gates is his Chicago studio, Sept. 29, 2020. | Photo by Lyndon French, Courtesy of Theaster Gates The National Building Museum is honoring Theaster Gates and hosting a conversation with the artist on Nov. 3 AN INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED potter, sculptor, performance artist, and social innovator, Theaster Gates has developed an ambitious archiving...
Latest News in Black Art: Luke Agada Joined Monique Meloche Gallery, New Atlanta Art Fair, Black Studies x Art History & More
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture ART FAIRS A new art fair is coming to Atlanta next year. The inaugural edition of the Atlanta Art Fair is Oct. 3-6, 2024, coinciding with Atlanta Art Week. Featuring leading local, regional, and national art...
On View: See Images From El Anatsui’s Monumental Hyundai Commission ‘Behind the Red Moon’ at Tate Modern in London
Installation view of Hyundai Commission: El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London, UK. | Photo by Joe Humphrys, © Tate On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions A NEW SITE-SPECIFIC COMMISSION by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui officially opened today at Tate Modern in London. “El Anatsui: Behind the Red...
Diana Ejaita’s Fashion Illustration ‘Lines of Beauty’ Draws From African and Western Art Traditions
A RECENT FASHION ILLUSTRATION by Diana Ejaita could easily serve as a graphic designed to promote the “Africa Fashion” exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. The portrait was not commissioned by the museum, however, but rather a magazine. “Lines of Beauty” graced the cover of the Sept. 25 issue of The New Yorker. The special Fall...
Nasher Sculpture Center Announced Artist Otobong Nkanga is Next Recipient of $100,000 Nasher Prize
Otobong Nkanga. | Photo by Wim van Dongen EACH YEAR SINCE 2016, the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas, has presented an international award to a living artist whose practice “elevates the understanding of sculpture and its possibilities.” The recipient of the 2025 Nasher Prize is Otobong Nkanga. The Nigerian Belgian artist is the...
MacArthur Foundation Announced 2023 Fellows, Including Artists María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Carolyn Lazard
THREE VISUAL ARTISTS, all women of color, are among the 2023 MacArthur Foundation fellows. Interdisciplinary artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons brought a mix of heritages and cultures when she emigrated to the United States three decades ago. “I was born in Cuba, but I also feel that I belong to many other places,” said Campos-Pons. In...
Akinsanya Kambon’s Striking Sculptures Reflect Harsh Histories and Brutal Truths: ‘If We Don’t Talk About it, We’ll Never Heal’
Made in L.A. 2923 artist Akinsanya Kambon on how his life experiences have motivated his practice. | Video by Hammer Museum Akinsanya Kambon is among the artists participating in the Hammer Museum biennial, Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living THE SINGULAR PRACTICE of Akinsanya Kambon documents suppressed histories and reflects the beauty...
Washington National Cathedral Dedicated New Stained-Glass Windows by Kerry James Marshall That Speak to a Just Society
“Now and Forever,” a new social justice-themed stained-glass window installation by Kerry James Marshall was unveiled at the Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 23. | Courtesy Washington National Cathedral An original poem by Elizabeth Alexander will be enshrined in stone at the base of the stained-glass windows designed by Kerry James Marshall NEW...
Artists Roberto Lugo and Kevin Beasley Received 2023 Heinz Awards, Recognition Includes $250,000 Prize
Roberto Lugo. | Photo by Joshua Franzos, Courtesy Heinz Foundation THE HEINZ FAMILY FOUNDATION’S annual Heintz Awards celebrate outstanding contributions in the arts, as well as the economy and environment. This year, the five recipients include artists Roberto Lugo and Kevin Beasley. Heintz Award recipients receive a medal and an unrestricted $250,000 cash prize....
Lots to Watch: From Notable Collections, ‘Club 55’ by Ernie Barnes and Works by Artists Winfred Rembert, Betye Saar, and Melvin Edwards Up for Auction at Sotheby’s
MUSIC AND THE WAY it makes people feel and move is a recurring theme in the work of Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) and is on full display in a painting he started in 1990 and completed in 1994. “Club 55” was commissioned by Motown Records to mark the 10-year anniversary of the death of Marvin...
A Feat of Engineering and Craftsmanship, Martin Puryear’s First Brick Sculpture Was a Decade in the Making: ‘It’s Been an Adventure and a Challenge’
MARTIN PURYEAR, Installation view of “Lookout,” 2023. Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, N.Y. | © Martin Puryear, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery. Photo by Jeffrey Jenkins A CURIOUS LOOKING, CURVED FORM sits on a high overlook in the North Woods of Storm King Art Center. A miracle of construction with no underlying framework, the brick...
Latest News in Black Art: Sanford Biggers, Willie Cole, Torkwase Dyson Elected to National Academy of Design, Curator Jade Powers Joins Birmingham Museum of Art, Aperture Magazine Puts Lens on Accra
Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture From left, Willie Cole. | Photo by Zak Pontz, Courtesy of the artist; Torkwase Dyson. | Photo by Suzie Howell, Courtesy PACE Gallery; and Sanford Biggers. | Photo by Gioncarlo Valentine, Courtesy of the artist ...
Lots to Watch: Works by 20th Century Pioneers Ed Clark, Norman Lewis, Peter Bradley, and Romare Bearden Featured in ‘New Now’ Auction at Phillips
Lot 23: ED CLARK, “Gray Force,” 1972 (acrylic on canvas, 83 x 111 inches / 210.8 x 281.9 cm). | Estimate $400,000-$600,000. SOLD for $380,001 fees included. No. 2 lot sale AT PHILLIPS NEW YORK, the forthcoming New Now auction features dozens of works by new and rising talents, many of them African contemporary...
What to See in New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Showcasing Works by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Awol Erizku, Sam Gilliam, Chase Hall, and Christopher Myers
SOLO EXHIBITIONS dedicated to Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Awol Erizku, Sam Gilliam, Chase Hall, and Christopher Myers are among the must-see gallery shows currently on view in New York. Spanning three generations, the artists represent an array of practices and mediums, from painting, sculpture, and neon to stained-glass and quilting. Akunyili Crosby, who has exhibited...
Lots to Watch: Quilts by Sarah Mary Taylor and Other African American Quilters Featured in North Carolina Folk Art Auction
Rare art, fascinating objects, and significant collections can be found at local auction houses, from California to North Carolina THREE-DOZEN HANDS seemingly waving this way and that create a joyful pattern on a large, undated quilt by Sarah Mary Taylor (1916-2000) of Yazoo City, Miss. Known for her appliqué style and laying her quilts...
Belinda Tate Hired as Next Director of Indianapolis Museum of Art: Beleaguered by Racial Controversies, Institution is Charting New Direction
Three Black women will now lead the institution serving as board chair, president and CEO, and director of the museum NEWFIELDS ANNOUNCED THE APPOINTMENT of Belinda Tate as the next director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA). An encyclopedic museum founded in 1883, IMA is part of Newfields, a cultural institution spread across...
Lots to Watch: 400+ Items From André Leon Talley’s Estate Up for Auction in Hudson, N.Y.
Rare art, fascinating objects, and significant collections can be found at local auction houses, from California to Hudson, N.Y. A CUSTOM, BLACK SILK Ralph Rucci evening kimono worn to the Met Gala in 2003. Rhinestone-embellished NAACP t-shirts. Silver-plated serving ware previously owned by Joan Crawford. Six monogrammed L.L. Bean tote bags. Books on fashion...
Latest News in Black Art: Firelei Báez Joins Hauser & Wirth, Chris Ofili Pays Tribute to Khadija Saye, Francis Kéré Wins Japan’s Praemium Imperiale, American Friends of Louvre Now Led by Thomas E. Moore III
Firelei Báez. | Photo by Amilcar Navarro, Courtesy Hauser & Wirth Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture REPRESENTATION Firelei Báez (pictured above) is now represented globally by Hauser & Wirth, the mega gallery with an international footprint. The news was announced...
Art & Diplomacy: U.S. Dept. of State Medal of Arts Bestowed on Robert Pruitt and Hank Willis Thomas at White House Ceremony
Sept. 13: Arts in Embassies 2023 Medal of the Arts recipients. From left, Suling Wang, Hank Willis Thomas, Robert Pruitt, and Tony Abeyta, in the East Room of the White House. | Official White House Photo by Erin Scott First Lady Jill Biden hosted the 2023 Medal of Arts event honoring five artists at...
