THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART (NGA) acquired “The American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding” (1976), a major painting by Faith Ringgold that makes a powerful political statement about American democracy and racism. The iconic painting was acquired directly from the collection of the artist with funds gifted by the Glenstone Foundation and...
“Connective Tissue” (2021) by Tyler Mitchell On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions THE PASTORAL AMERICAN SOUTH conjures complex histories, emotions, and experiences for Black people. Family traditions and connections to the land are tempered by racial terror and generational discrimination. Tyler Mitchell focuses nearly exclusively on the blissful moments and the power...
THREE 1970s PAINTINGS by Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) sold for more than $100,000 each on Oct. 1, marking the first time a work by Barnes sold for more than six figures at auction. Two of the paintings sold for nearly $300,000 each. The results were more than three times the artist’s previous record and set...
THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM has thrown its support behind three promising new artists working across diverse disciplines. The museum announced the selection of Cameron Granger, Jacob Mason-Macklin, and Qualeasha Wood as 2021-22 artists-in-residence. The group is the latest to participate in the germinal program, which has provided material and institutional support to artists...
TWO POWERFUL, TRAILBLAZING WOMEN are joining forces. Nicola Vassell Gallery in New York announced the representation of Ming Smith on Friday. Smith joins the Black-owned gallery having established a groundbreaking photography practice over the last 50 years. In May, Vassell inaugurated her gallery with a solo exhibition of the Harlem-based artist. “Ming Smith: Evidence”...
MARUANI MERCIER announced its representation of Ghanaian artist Cornelius Annor today. Located in Brussels, Belgium, the gallery will represent Annor in Europe. Earlier this year, he was in residence at The Warehouse, the gallery’s expansive satellite space in Zaventem, Belgium. Next year, Annor will be in residence from February to April in anticipation of...
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions THE PORTRAITS Corey Pemberton makes capture people he knows at home. The artist describes his subjects as “people in his life whose bodies and identities fall outside of the traditional raced, gendered, and sexualized boundaries of ordinariness.” Pemberton’s current exhibition unites these two concerns. His paintings...
UPDATE (10/29/21): This auction has been postponed. Culture Type received the following statement from Heritage Auctions: “Concerns involving the provenance of a handful of lots in ‘The Soul of a Nation: Black Art from a Distinguished Collector’ were recently presented to Heritage Auctions. Out of an abundance of caution, the sale scheduled for Nov....
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture Atta Kwami, 2019. | Photo: Modern Painters, New Decorators, Courtesy Serpentine Galleries UK-BASED, GHANAIAN ARTIST and printmaker Atta Kwami (1956-2021) has died. He was 65. Kwami’s paintings, murals, and kiosk sculptures are informed by...
NEW U.S. ART MUSEUM and institutional exhibitions opening in October include solo shows of Conrad Egyir in San Jose, Betye Saar in Miami, Thaddeus Mosley in Baltimore, and Jennifer Packer in New York. A visit to the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., will make efficient use of your time, with three must-see shows opening...
CURRENTLY ON VIEW in New York, galleries are presenting solo exhibitions of artists Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Michaela Yearwood-Dan, McArthur Binion, Leonardo Drew, and Matthew Angelo Harrison. The shows feature all new paintings and sculpture and emerging artists Harrison and Yearwood-Dan are collaborating with Salon 94 and Marianne Boesky galleries, respectively, for the first time....
THE UNDERGROUND MUSEUM in Los Angeles announced the appointment of Meg Onli as director and curator. She joins the museum from the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where she served as associate curator. Onli is taking on a co-leadership role at the Black-founded museum with Cristina Pacheco. A...
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture From left: DAVID SHROBE, “Riding the Wind’s Back,” 2021 (oil on canvas, acrylic and white charcoal on linen, acrylic and colored pencil on wood, and canvas, silk, suede, wool chambray, canvas, acrylic, and faux suede...
A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER who became a successful artist, Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) made paintings about what he experienced and what was familiar. His most frequent subjects were African American life in the South, referencing his North Carolina roots, and racially diverse athletes engaged in all manner of sports, from tennis and boxing, to basketball...
Installation view of “Jesse Murry” at David Zwirner, New York MARKING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issuing its first report about what would become known as AIDS, David Zwirner is presenting More Life, a special series dedicated to artists who died from HIV/AIDS-related ailments during the first two...
On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions VICTORIA MIRO in London is showing nine new paintings by Kudzanai-Violet Hwami. “When You Need Letters for Your Skin” is the Hwaami’s first solo exhibition with the gallery since joining the roster in December. Born in Gutu, Zimbabwe, she grew up in South Africa from...
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture From left, Poet Claudia Rankine joined the Guggenheim board; Maria Rosario Jackson is President Biden’s nominee to head the National Endowment for the Arts. | Photos: Courtesy Blue Flower Arts; Courtesy Maria Rosario Jackson via...
THE FORTHCOMING AFRICAN AMERICAN ART sale at Swann Auction Galleries in New York features a selection of rare prints and a few paintings benefitting the Brandywine Workshop and Archives (BWA), the printmaking institution in Philadelphia. A handful of works were consigned directly by the artists. Most are sourced from the collection of BWA and...
PAINTED RED and constructed of wood and foam core “Miss Lovie’s Shack” (1989) by Beverly Buchanan (1940–2015) set a new auction record for the artist reaching $20,000, including fees. The result far-exceeded the estimate, which was $3,000-$5,000. The sculpture sold at Rago auction house in Lambertville, N.J., where it was featured in the Post-War...
Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture VERONICA RYAN, “Custard Apple (Annonaceae), Breadfruit (Moraceae), and Soursop (Annonaceae),” 2021. | Courtesy the artist, Photo by Andy Keate Public Art Huge Caribbean fruits by British sculptor Veronica Ryan now grace Narrow Way Square...