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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

Latest News in Black Art: Artist Lorraine O'Grady Has Died, Zoe Whitley is Departing Chisenhale Gallery, Family Seeks Return of Paintings From Louisiana Museums & More

Latest News in Black Art: Artist Lorraine O’Grady Has Died, Zoe Whitley is Departing Chisenhale Gallery, Family Seeks Return of Paintings From Louisiana Museums & More

Latest News in Black Art features updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Lorraine O’Grady. | Photo by Lelanie Foster, Courtesy the artist and Mariane Ibrahim gallery   LIVES Conceptual Artist Lorraine O’Grady Has Died at 90 New York artist Lorraine O’Grady (1934-2024) died at...
Nikki Giovanni, 81, Profound Poet Whose Poignant Verse Reflected the Evolving Times in Which She Lived, Has Died

Nikki Giovanni, 81, Profound Poet Whose Poignant Verse Reflected the Evolving Times in Which She Lived, Has Died

Nikki Giovanni. | Photo © Nikki Giovanni   A PROFOUND VOICE and insightful wordsmith has passed on. Nikki Giovanni (1943-2024), the American poet, professor, public intellectual, and key figure in the Black Arts Movement, died in Blacksburg, Va., on Nov. 9. She was 81 years old. Virginia C. Fowler, Giovanni’s...
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AfriCOBRA Artist Nelson Stevens Has Died at 84: He Contributed to a 'Radical Black Aesthetic That Asserted Black Empowerment, Self-Determination, and Unity'

AfriCOBRA Artist Nelson Stevens Has Died at 84: He Contributed to a ‘Radical Black Aesthetic That Asserted Black Empowerment, Self-Determination, and Unity’

  AN EARLY MEMBER of the Chicago collective AfriCOBRA has died. Artist Nelson Stevens (1938-2022), passed away on July 22. He was 84. His death was first reported by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. The news was confirmed to Culture Type by his gallery, Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore, Md. In a statement, the gallery said:...
London: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Present Works by Artists Deborah Roberts, Nengi Omuku, Sokari Douglas Camp, Gareth Nyandoro, Mostaff Muchawaya, and Kara Walker

London: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Present Works by Artists Deborah Roberts, Nengi Omuku, Sokari Douglas Camp, Gareth Nyandoro, Mostaff Muchawaya, and Kara Walker

  CURRENTLY ON VIEW in London, galleries are presenting solo exhibitions of American artists Deborah Roberts and Kara Walker; emerging Nigerian artist Nengi Omuku; and British Nigerian sculptor Sokari Douglas Camp. In addition, a two-artist show is presenting works by Gareth Nyandoro and Mostaff Muchawaya, who are both based in Harare, Zimbabwe. The exhibitions dedicated...
Culture Talk: Curator Kanitra Fletcher on Afro-Atlantic Histories: Exhibition is About 'How the African Diaspora Comprises All These Voices and Lives and Experiences'

Culture Talk: Curator Kanitra Fletcher on Afro-Atlantic Histories: Exhibition is About ‘How the African Diaspora Comprises All These Voices and Lives and Experiences’

  A VISUAL REVELATION, “Afro-Atlantic Histories” presents a sweeping account of the African Diaspora. The exhibition explores the “historical experiences and cultural formations” of Black people of African descent, across five centuries dating from the 17th century to the present. More than 130 works of art by artists from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the...
Latest News in Black Art: James D. Thornton Elected Board Chair at Baltimore Museum of Art, Frick Will Show Barkley Hendricks Portraits, Getty Images Releases Black History & Culture Collection & More

Latest News in Black Art: James D. Thornton Elected Board Chair at Baltimore Museum of Art, Frick Will Show Barkley Hendricks Portraits, Getty Images Releases Black History & Culture Collection & More

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Appointments THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) elected James D. Thornton chair of the museum’s 36-member board. Thornton is the first Black person and first person of color to lead...
Latest News in Black Art: Jadé Fadojutimi Joins Gagosian, Denise Murrell Tapped for New Curatorial Role at The Met, Dindga McCannon Now Repped by Pippy Houldsworth in London & More

Latest News in Black Art: Jadé Fadojutimi Joins Gagosian, Denise Murrell Tapped for New Curatorial Role at The Met, Dindga McCannon Now Repped by Pippy Houldsworth in London & More

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Artist Jade Fadojutimi has joined mega-gallery Gagosian. | Photo by Anamarija Ami Podrebarac   Representation British artist Jadé Fadojutimi, 29, is now represented by Gagosian, the mega-gallery with 19 gallery spaces spread from the United...
Anya Dani Appointed to New Getty-Funded Role at UCLA Where She Will Teach, Research, and Focus on Bringing More African Americans Into Conservation Field

Anya Dani Appointed to New Getty-Funded Role at UCLA Where She Will Teach, Research, and Focus on Bringing More African Americans Into Conservation Field

  IN LOS ANGELES, Anya Dani is joining the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in a newly created position: director of community engagement and inclusive practice. She will also serve as a lecturer in cultural heritage conservation. The appointment was announced June 16. The UCLA/Getty program is one of a handful...
'I Dream a World': New National Portrait Gallery Exhibition Features Photographs of Remarkable Black Women

‘I Dream a World’: New National Portrait Gallery Exhibition Features Photographs of Remarkable Black Women

  THE SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY in Washington, D.C., presents ‘I Dream a World: Selections from Brian Lanker’s Portraits of Remarkable Black Women,’ opening July 8, 2022. Featuring portraits by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Lanker, from his 1989 book “I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America,” and installed in two parts,...
Latest News in Black Art: Jacqueline Stewart Will Lead Academy Museum, Rodney Ewing and Johnson Eziefula Join New Galleries, Blitz Bazawule Publishes Debut Novel & More

Latest News in Black Art: Jacqueline Stewart Will Lead Academy Museum, Rodney Ewing and Johnson Eziefula Join New Galleries, Blitz Bazawule Publishes Debut Novel & More

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Jacqueline Stewart joined the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in the lead up to its opening, directing exhibitions, programming, and education. She is the host of “Silent Sunday Nights” on Turner Classic Movies and a...
Latest News in Black Art: Innovative Painter Sam Gilliam Has Died, Artist Vaughn Spann in Architectural Digest, Columbus, Ga. Celebrates Artist Alma Thomas & More

Latest News in Black Art: Innovative Painter Sam Gilliam Has Died, Artist Vaughn Spann in Architectural Digest, Columbus, Ga. Celebrates Artist Alma Thomas & More

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Portrait of Sam Gilliam (1933-2022). | Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, and Pace Gallery. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen Studio   Lives The innovative abstract artist Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) died on June 25 at...
New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Explore Work of Artists Amanda Williams, Vivian Browne, Shikeith, Alberta Whittle, Alanis Forde, and Akilah Watts

New York: 5 Gallery Exhibitions Explore Work of Artists Amanda Williams, Vivian Browne, Shikeith, Alberta Whittle, Alanis Forde, and Akilah Watts

  IN NEW YORK CITY, five must-see exhibitions are dedicated to Amanda Williams, Vivian Browne, Shikeith, Alberta Whittle, Alanis Forde, and Akilah Watts. The artists work in a variety of mediums, most prominently painting. The group includes three artists who hail originally from Barbados; Shikeith and Whittle are presenting their first solo exhibitions in New...
Latest News in Black Art: New Name for DuSable Museum, Public Art Works by Basil Watson, Thomas J. Price and Charles Gaines, Plus Plans for African American Dictionary

Latest News in Black Art: New Name for DuSable Museum, Public Art Works by Basil Watson, Thomas J. Price and Charles Gaines, Plus Plans for African American Dictionary

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Thomas J. Price’s bronze sculpture “Warm Shores” (2022) was unveiled on Windrush Day. | Photo by Damian Griffiths Public Art On Windrush Day (June 22), the legacy of Afro-Caribbeans who emigrated to the UK after...
New Appointments Announced at Studio Museum in Harlem, National Gallery of Canada, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Terra Foundation & More

New Appointments Announced at Studio Museum in Harlem, National Gallery of Canada, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Terra Foundation & More

  SEVERAL ART INSTITUTIONS announced notable new curatorial and leadership appointments over the past month, including newly created roles at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Terra Foundation for American Art in Chicago:   T. Camille Martin-Thomsen is incoming dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs at The School of the Art...
Closing Soon: Must-See New York Gallery Exhibitions Showcase Works by Sylvia Snowden, Naudline Pierre, Walter Price, Wole Lagunju, and Ebony G. Patterson

Closing Soon: Must-See New York Gallery Exhibitions Showcase Works by Sylvia Snowden, Naudline Pierre, Walter Price, Wole Lagunju, and Ebony G. Patterson

  IN NEW YORK CITY, five must-see solo exhibitions are dedicated to artists whose practices are largely focused on painting: Sylvia Snowden, Naudline Pierre, Walter Price, Wole Lagunju, and Ebony G. Patterson. Expressing themselves through abstraction and figuration, the artists explore fantasy worlds, beauty, violence, religion, and “mental landscapes.” The gallery shows close this weekend:...
Latest News in Black Art: Stanley Whitney Joins Gagosian Gallery, Tourmaline and Helena Uambembe Take Top Artist Prize at Art Basel, Scholar Tiffany E. Barber Wins Smithsonian Essay Award & More

Latest News in Black Art: Stanley Whitney Joins Gagosian Gallery, Tourmaline and Helena Uambembe Take Top Artist Prize at Art Basel, Scholar Tiffany E. Barber Wins Smithsonian Essay Award & More

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Artist Stanley Whitney. | Photo by Jeannette Montgomery Barron/Trunk Archive   Representation After presenting a solo exhibition of new paintings by Stanley Whitney at Gagosian Rome in 2020, the international mega-gallery announced its representation of...
Ernie Barnes Iconic 'Sugar Shack' Painting on Loan to Houston Museum One Month After Record-Shattering Auction Sale

Ernie Barnes Iconic ‘Sugar Shack’ Painting on Loan to Houston Museum One Month After Record-Shattering Auction Sale

  THE VICTOR IN A FIERCE BIDDING WAR, art collector Bill Perkins paid a record-shattering $15.3 million for “The Sugar Shack” (1976) by Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) at Christie’s New York on May 12. The iconic painting was estimated to sell for about $200,000, so the staggering price made international news and brought long overdue, widespread...
Latest News in Black Art: Orange County Museum Commissions Sanford Biggers Sculpture, Theaster Gates 'Black Chapel' Debuts at Serpentine, Miranda Forrester Joins Tiwani Contemporary & More

Latest News in Black Art: Orange County Museum Commissions Sanford Biggers Sculpture, Theaster Gates ‘Black Chapel’ Debuts at Serpentine, Miranda Forrester Joins Tiwani Contemporary & More

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   Rendering of “Of many waters…” (2022) by Sanford Biggers on the Sculpture Terrace of the forthcoming Orange County Museum of Art, opening to the public in October 2022. | Photo: Morphosis   Commissions When the...
Closing Soon: Must-See New York Gallery Exhibitions Showcase Works by Lorraine O'Grady, Terry Adkins, Lauren Halsey, and Tavares Strachan

Closing Soon: Must-See New York Gallery Exhibitions Showcase Works by Lorraine O’Grady, Terry Adkins, Lauren Halsey, and Tavares Strachan

  IN NEW YORK CITY, four must-see solo exhibitions showcase works by artists with singular practices: Lorraine O’Grady, Terry Adkins, Tavares Strachan, and Lauren Halsey. Spanning three generations, the artists work across multiple mediums mining Black history, culture, and experience through conceptual lenses. The gallery shows close this weekend:   LORRAINE O’GRADY, “Gaze,” 1991/2019 (archival...
On View: See Images From 'Joy Yamusangie: Feeling Good,' Inspired by Expressive Nature of Jazz, Exhibition Explores Identity and Social Constructs at NOW Gallery in London

On View: See Images From ‘Joy Yamusangie: Feeling Good,’ Inspired by Expressive Nature of Jazz, Exhibition Explores Identity and Social Constructs at NOW Gallery in London

  On View presents images from noteworthy exhibitions   THE RECIPIENT OF NOW Gallery’s 2022 Young Artist Commission, Joy Yamusangie is staging an immersive solo show, envisioning the London gallery as a jazz club. Following collaborations with Gucci, Paul Smith, Penguin Books, and Nike, the Congolese-British artist sought to realize their own singular vision. Yamusangie’s...
Latest News in Black Art: Odili Donald Odita Joins David Kordansky Gallery, California Reparations Report Addresses Artist's Rights, MoMA Acquires Archibald Motley Painting

Latest News in Black Art: Odili Donald Odita Joins David Kordansky Gallery, California Reparations Report Addresses Artist’s Rights, MoMA Acquires Archibald Motley Painting

  Latest News in Black Art features news updates and developments in the world of art and related culture   ARCHIBALD MOTLEY JR., “Tongues (Holy Rollers),” 1929 (oil on canvas, 29 1/4 × 36 1/8 inches / 74.3 × 91.8 cm). | Bequest of Janice H. Levin (by exchange). © Archibald John Motley Jr. Courtesy...
In California, Elena Gross is Incoming Co-Director at Berkeley Art Center, Which Champions Bay Area Artists and Curators

In California, Elena Gross is Incoming Co-Director at Berkeley Art Center, Which Champions Bay Area Artists and Curators

IN BERKELEY, CALIF., Elena Gross is joining the Berkeley Art Center (BAC) as co-director. Gross brings eight years of experience working in the Bay Area arts community and a background that spans museums, culturally specific institutions, commercial galleries, independent nonprofits, and arts publications. Gross is currently director of exhibitions and curatorial affairs at the Museum...