With ‘Be Strong Boquan,’ Mark Bradford Pushes His Painting Practice and Flexes His Comedy Chops
FOR HIS FIRST NEW YORK EXHIBITION with Hauser and Wirth Gallery, Mark Bradford has mounted a show that reinforces the depth of his painting practice and at the same time demonstrates his mastery of conceptual and performance art. “Be Strong Boquan” begins with a whimsical video installation with anthropomorphic roller skate wheels rolling, leaping and...
Record Breakers: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Mark Bradford and Faith Ringgold Reach New Auction Highs
THE THREE MAJOR AUCTION HOUSES—Christie’s, Sothebys and Phillips—held contemporary art sales during Frieze London and the events yielded a number of artist records, including career high values for Mark Bradford and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Known for her deft portrayals of compelling figures, Yiadom-Boakye far exceeded pre-sale expectations at Christie’s London on Oct. 16. “Knave” (above),...
African American Artists Factor in New Developments at Hirshhorn Museum
TWO YEARS FROM NOW, in 2017, Los Angeles artist Mark Bradford (above) plans to take full advantage of the unique cylindrical structure of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. The critically recognized artist is installing a suite of site-specific paintings on the third floor of the Smithsonian museum where the work...
Mark Bradford’s Art + Practice is on a Mission to Change Lives
ART + PRACTICE IS PRESENTING “The Beautyful Ones,” Njideka Akunyili Crosby‘s first exhibition in Los Angeles. Awarded the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s 2014 James Dicke Contemporary Artist Prize, Nigerian-born Akunyili Crosby lives and works in Los Angeles. Curated by the Hammer Museum, the exhibition features a new body of work that “explores intimacy and interiority...
Summer Shows: 25 Noteworthy Exhibitions Feature Black Artists
THIS SUMMER, MAJOR CITIES are presenting major exhibitions featuring the work of important African American artists. In greater Detroit, Nick Cave (shown above) is staging pop-up performances showcasing his mesmerizing Soundsuits in conjunction with a museum exhibition at the Cranbrook Art Museum, his first in Michigan. In New York, the Studio Museum in Harlem is...
Black Artist News – June 19: Nick Cave, Gordon Parks, Mickalene Thomas & More
THE WEEK’S TOP NEWS COVERAGE from around the web featuring artists Nick Cave, Gordon Parks, Noah Purifoy, Mark Bradford, Mickalene Thomas and designer Duro Olowu. Nick Cave: Soundsuit Invasion, Mike Kelley’s Mobile Homestead. | Photo by PD Rearick, Courtesy of Cranbrook Art Museum via T Magaine Nick Cave T MAGAZINE talks to Chicago-based artist Nick...
Modern Painters: Engaging African American Artists in Talks About Police Brutality
OVER THE PAST YEAR, visual artists have responded to the steady clip of national news stories about unarmed black men and youth being killed by police. Titus Kaphur painted the Ferguson, Mo., protestors for Time magazine; Dred Scott wrote an essay titled “Illegitimate” for the Walker Art Center on the killing of Michael Brown;...
Mark Bradford’s ‘Smear’ Sells for Record $4.3 Million at Sotheby’s
TEN BIDDERS VIED FOR A NEW PAINTING by Mark Bradford at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction on May 12. The sale price for “Smear” was ultimately $4,394,000 (including fees), a record for the Los Angeles-based artist, according to Sotheby’s and Iris Index. A brilliant nexus of color, technique and materials executed in 2015, the...
Mark Bradford and Theaster Gates Post Record Sales at London Auctions
WHEN THE HAMMER CAME DOWN at Phillips London, Mark Bradford’s “Biting the Book” sold for more than $3.8 million, a record for the Los Angeles-based artist. A large-scale, mixed-media painting created in 2013, it was featured in Bradford’s “Through the Darkest America by Truck and Tank” exhibition at the Bermondsey location of White Cube...
25 Exhibitions for Your Winter 2015 Agenda
THIS WINTER IS PROVING TO BE UNPREDICTABLE, with massive snow expected one week and relatively mild temperatures the next. On the art front, the forecast this season is more reliable with a robust slate of exhibitions, from New York, San Francisco and Ontario to London and Munich, featuring a range of modern and contemporary black...
U.S. State Dept. Honors Mark Bradford, Sam Gilliam, Julie Mehretu and Kehinde Wiley for Contributions to Art in Embassies Program
THE COLOR-INFUSED CANVASES of Sam Gilliam, un-stretched and un-framed, are suspended from the ceiling of the American embassy in Bamako, Mali. Across the globe, visitors to America’s diplomatic outposts in more than 20 countries have been greeted by the innovative work of the Washington Color School artist. On view from Lima and Rabat to...
Culture Type: The Year in Black Art 2014
FROM THE DAK’ART BIENNIAL in Senegal, to the 1:54 art fair in London and Prospect.3 in New Orleans, 2014 was brimming with compelling exhibitions, innovative projects and well-deserved honors. Kara Walker’s sugar sphinx installation in Brooklyn was perhaps the most thought-provoking and buzzed about exhibition of the year; Chris Ofili’s “Night and Day” survey at...
Assessing the Fall Contemporary Auctions in New York
ALL THAT STANDS BETWEEN YOU and owning works by some of the most highly regarded artists practicing today is the wave of a paddle. Major auction houses are staging their fall contemporary sales this week. Works by El Anatsui, Chris Ofili, Mickalene Thomas and Glenn Ligon are up for consideration. Bidding is underway already with...
The Week in Black Art | Aug. 30 – Sept. 5, 2014
A REVIEW OF THE WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Featuring Shinique Smith, Mark Bradford, Nick Cave, a documentary about black photographers and more Detail of “Majesty” 2012 (ink and acrylic on canvas over panel) by Shinique Smith via MFA Boston Shinique Smith Responds to 21 Questions “Bright Matter” at...
Fall Preview: The Season’s 16 Most-Anticipated Art Exhibitions
THE NEW EXHIBITION SEASON IS UNDERWAY and fall’s most anticipated museum and gallery shows are opening soon. In the coming months, 16 exhibitions will feature highly regarded and innovative black artists working across a range of mediums. Chris Ofili’s first major solo museum exhibition in the United States opens at the New Museum on Oct....
Mark Bradford Ranks Among Most Expensive West Coast Artists
LOS ANGELES-BASED ARTIST Mark Bradford is among the 10 most expensive living West Coast artists, according to artnet News. Last year, his 2008 mixed-media collage “Mithra,” sold for more than $2.6 million at auction, a record for the artist. The impressive price earned him a No. 7 ranking among artists including Ed Ruscha, Mark Grotjahn,...
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...
The Week in Black Art | May 10-16, 2014
A REVIEW OF THE WEEK’S NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE ART WORLD Featuring Yams Collective, Thomas J. Lax, Christian Rosa and contemporary auction results Yams Collective Pulls Out of Whitney Biennial As the final days of the Whitney Biennial approach, a race-related kerfuffle has emerged. The Yams, (shown above) a collective of 38...
A ‘Freestyle’ Take on Post-Black Art
SINCE ITS FOUNDING in 1968, The Studio Museum in Harlem has been identifying and nurturing talented black artists, the next big names in contemporary art. Through its exhibitions and coveted residency program, countless accomplished black artists can point to a connection with the museum as a turning point in their careers—from Fred Wilson and Kara...
Black Artists Join Powerhouse Galleries
ART CRITIC JERRY SALTZ recently expressed his frustration with Gagosian, Pace, Hauser & Wirth and David Zwirner galleries in New York magazine, describing the four mega dealers as overwhelming behemoths causing much consternation in the art world. In the course of breaking down the situation, one of his most fascinating anecdotes involved artist Mark...
