In Memoriam, Artists, Curators, and Scholars Share Memories of David C. Driskell: He ‘Was an Agitator for African American Art’ and ‘Lit the Way in Our Lives and Careers’
DAVID C. DRISKELL (1931-2020) helped build the field of African American art history and was a nexus for three generations of artists, curators, and scholars who have studied and are fortifying the discipline. A pivotal figure in American art and leading authority on African American art, Driskell died on April 1. He was 88....
Frieze New York: Franklin Sirmans is Channeling Just Above Midtown Gallery and the Pioneering Vision of Linda Goode Bryant
JUST ABOVE MIDTOWN (JAM) was a solution to a problem. Linda Goode Bryant founded the New York City art gallery in 1974. When the city’s museums and art galleries were less than welcoming to black artists, Bryant didn’t see the point in protesting or advocating for inclusion. Why beg to be recognized, she thought,...
Prospect New Orleans Announces 2020 Dates, Appoints Director’s Council, Including Gia Hamilton, Courtney J. Martin, Valerie Cassel Oliver, and Franklin Sirmans
THE FIFTH EDITION of Prospect New Orleans officially opens to the public Oct. 24, 2020 and runs through Jan. 24, 2021. The triennial will feature artists from around the world and engage resources throughout New Orleans—the cultural community, arts institutions, and local sites. Prospect.5 is led by curators Naima J. Keith and Diana Nawi....
In the Wake of His Passing, Fellow Curators Pay Tribute to Okwui Enwezor with Outpouring of Remembrances and Respect
Okwui Enwezor (1963-2019) THE RANKS OF BLACK CURATORS in the art world, while expanding, are relatively thin. Nearly every one has a connection to Okwui Enwezor (1963-2019), whether they were close with him or worked with him, or only of knew him and his work. Enwezor, the renowned curator and critic, died March 15....
The Year Ahead in African American Art: What to Look Forward to in 2019
THE YEAR AHEAD begins and ends with major traveling exhibitions, each presenting nearly a century of works by African American artists. The January debut of “Black Refractions: Highlights From the Studio Museum in Harlem” at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco kicks off a tour of six venues. Scheduled for seven...
Next: 28 Art Curators to Watch Who Took on New Appointments in 2018
A SELECT GROUP OF BLACK CURATORS is making significant contributions to the museum field—collaborating with artists, organizing important exhibitions, shaping collections and programming, and taking advantage of opportunities to lend their expertise beyond their institutions. Their representation is growing, slowly, but their presence and achievements remain rare. On the American museum front, among curators,...
The Age of Basquiat: New Books, Important Exhibitions, and Soaring Auction Sales Are Substantiating the Artist’s Legacy
Embed from Getty Images FASCINATION WITH THE LIFE AND WORK of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) has never really quelled since his death three decades ago. Over the past few years, a crush of exhibitions and catalogs, and soaring auctions sales have further shaped the legacy of Basquiat whose life was cut short by a drug...
Retrospective: The Latest News in Black Art – Hamza Walker to Head LAXART, National Medal of Arts Announced
RETROSPECTIVE is a review of the latest news and happenings related to art by and about people of African descent, with a few nods to culture thrown in. This week, highlights include news that President Obama created a national monument, will honor artists Jack Whitten and Ralph Lemon with the National Medal of Arts, and...
The Year in Black Art 2015: The Newsmakers
OVER THE PAST YEAR, a number of black artists and curators have made news on a regular basis, whether for groundbreaking projects and exhibitions, or for earning a significant honor or appointment. These key figures—both established and recently eclipsing emerging status—are not only pushing their own practices and institutions in innovative new directions, they are...
Culture Talk: Franklin Sirmans on Leading the Pérez Art Museum in Miami
SIX WEEKS INTO HIS TENURE as director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Franklin Sirmans is adapting to his new role at the museum and new expectations for Art Basel Miami Beach. Previously, as department head and curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), he could duck...
How Artist Charles Gaines is Influencing the Creative Economy in Los Angeles
THE HAMMER MUSEUM is currently presenting “Charles Gaines: Gridwork 1974-1989,” the first museum survey of the Los Angeles-based artist’s early work. The exhibition originated at the Studio Museum in Harlem and includes some rare works, previously presumed to be lost, being shown for the first time. The work of Charles Gaines has been acquired...
Shelf Worthy: New Books on Black British Artists, Chris Ofili, Basquiat and More
A SELECTION OF SHELF-WORTHY, COFFEE TABLE-READY books and catalogs published recently that explore black art and artists “The Image of the Black in Western Art, Volume V: The Twentieth Century, Part 2: The Rise of Black Artists” edited by David Bindman and Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Belknap Press, 368 pages) Since 2010, Harvard University Press...
The Week in Black Art | July 26 to Aug. 1, 2014
A REVIEW OF THE WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Featuring Franklin Sirmans, Kehinde Wiley, Jacob Lawrence and more Kehinde Wiley Publishes New Catalog of Jamaican Portraits Jamaica is the latest destination on Kehinde Wiley‘s world tour. A master of portraiture, Wiley has traveled to Nigeria, Senegal, Brazil, Israel, Sri Lanka and...
Art Agenda | June 1-7, 2014
MUST-SEE EXHIBITION openings and interesting talks and appearances happening this week in black art: Sunday, June 1, 2014 @ 1 p.m. Franklin Sirmans Discusses Futbol Exhibit at LACMA | Los Angeles Franklin Sirmans, curator of “Futbol: The Beautiful Game” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (at left), is participating in a panel...
Lorna Simpson: Heady Portraits on Paper
THE CLASSIC BLUE matte-finish cover masks the wonder beyond. “Lorna Simpson: Works on Paper” is an enchanting march of portraits. It’s like a year book capturing various eras, page-after-page of watercolor images, painted by an artist with plenty to say. There are graphite, ink and watercolor portraits of women, images of heads with flourishes of...
