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...
National Puzzle Day: Piece Together Major Works by African American Artists, Including Mickalene Thomas, Charles White, Alma Thomas, and Archibald Motley
STAYING CLOSE TO HOME over the past year, due to COVID-19, has breathed new life into a traditional past time. An entertaining way to pass the hours and relieve stress, jigsaw puzzles are more popular than ever. Several focus on signigicant works by important 20th century African American artists such as Charles White, Alma...
Showcasing African American Art Throughout the Year, 2021 Calendars Pay Homage to Archibald Motley, Charles White, Romare Bearden, and Harlem Renaissance
A 2021 WALL CALENDAR showcasing the work of jazz age modernist Archibald Motley (1891-1981) serves as a reminder that Black institutions were the first to collect the work of African American artists in a meaningful way. “Barbeque” (1934) appears on the cover of the calendar. One of Motley’s famous genre scenes, the painting belongs...
Latest News in African American Art: Museum Staffers are Publicizing Their Salaries, Racial Profiling at MFA Boston, New Archibald Motley Painting at DIA, and More
“Café, Paris” (1929) by Archibald J. Motley Jr., at DIA The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African American art and related black culture: Museum Staffers are Sharing Their Salaries on a Google Spreadsheet Employees of museums across the country are publicizing their...
The Week in African American Art: Designer Gail Anderson Recognized by Cooper Hewitt, Artist Kapwani Kiwanga Presents Frieze Commission & More
Gail Anderson of New York received the Cooper Hewitt Design Award for Lifetime Achievement. | Photo by Declan Van Welie; Paris-based Kapwani Kiwanga won the first Frieze Artist Award in New York. | Photo by Bertille-Chérot The following review of the past week or so presents a snapshot of the latest news in African...
Nasher Museum Announces Acquisition of ‘Hot Rhythm,’ a Major Painting by Archibald Motley
Mara Motley, M.D., and Valerie Gerrard Browne donated “Hot Rhythm” by Archibald Motley to the Nasher Museum of Art. WHEN ‘ARCHIBALD MOTLEY: JAZZ AGE MODERNIST’ opened at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University three years ago, one of the most compelling aspects of the exhibition was the presentation of a series of...
Family Portraits by Archibald Motley are Going on View in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
COME SPRING, VISITORS TO WASHINGTON, D.C.’s National Gallery of Art will have the opportunity to view “Portrait of My Grandmother,” by Archibald Motley (1891-1981). The 1922 painting was Motley’s favorite. In Southern California, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is presenting another family portrait. Motley’s “Uncle Bob” (1928) is expected to be...
Valerie Gerrard Browne: Heir to Painter Archibald Motley Reflects on the Legacy of the ‘Jazz Age Modernist’
“Black Belt,” 1934 (oil on canvas) by Archibald J. Motley Jr. | Collection of the Hampton University Museum, Hampton, Virginia. © Valerie Gerrard Browne. THE FIRST GALLERY OF THE EXHIBITION “Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist” features a series of striking portraits. Among the group is an image of the artist’s grandmother. The narrow, vertical...
At Whitney Museum, ‘America is Hard to See’ Acknowledges African American Contributions to Recent Art History
FOR GENERATIONS, IT HAS BEEN HARD to visit American museums and genuinely appreciate the experience when rarely is the depth and breadth of American art represented in exhibitions and collections. Far rarer, has been the inclusion of works by African American artists in retrospectives intended to capture the broad sweep of American art history....
American Masters: 7 Exhibitions Feature Important 20th Century Artists Who Broke Barriers
JACOB LAWRENCE COMPLETED “The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture,” his first series of historic narrative paintings in 1938. It was the same year Talladega College commissioned Hale Woodruff to paint a series of murals depicting the Amistad uprising. Both projects document pivotal moments in black diasporic history and demonstrate the immense talent of important 20th century...
Art & Antiques: An Overdue Look at Archibald Motley, Modernist ‘Mix Master’
THE MOTIVATION BEHIND MOUNTING “Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist” has everything to do with exposure, recasting the legacy of an important 20th century painter. Based in Chicago, Archibald Motley (1891-1981) painted captivating portraits, lively street scenes and spirited social gatherings with a modern perspective. His canvases capture African American life with wry humor and...
Culture Talk: Duke Professor Richard J. Powell on Archibald Motley
THE NASHER MUSEUM OF ART at Duke University is infused with Chicago jazz and Paris blues. Since January 19, the museum has been exhibiting 45 paintings by Chicago artist Archibald J. Motley Jr. (1891-1981). “Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist” presents a rare opportunity to experience the work of one of the 20th century’s most...
Billboards to Advertise Museum Art this Summer
THIS SUMMER, BILLBOARDS boasting images by artists Glenn Ligon, Jacob Lawrence or Kerry James Marshall may give your road trip an unexpected dose of culture. Across the nation, the huge elevated outdoor billboards that usually advertise soft drinks, automobiles and the latest reality show, will be “marketing” art selected from museums across the United...
