black artists

"Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott," 2022. New Museum, New York. (L-R) See Colescott's We Await Thee, (1964), Nubian Queen (1966), and Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet (1968).
Colescott Retrospective “Art and Race Matters” is a Must-See
Fresh off its survey of Faith Ringgold, the New Museum presents a retrospective of another veteran African American painter whose aesthetic DNA courses through subsequent generations of black artists…
detail of painting that features a black man in white clothes and in front of white background. His glasses reflect gothic church windows.
Exhibition on Hugely Influential Artist Barkley L. Hendricks
Along with the exhibition, Hendricks’s art and its impact will be further explored through a richly illustrated exhibition catalogue with contributions by artists and creative figures including…
Nina Chanel Abney and Pace Prints printers creating the printed elements for Abney's collages on panel. Image courtesy of the artist and Pace Prints. Photo by Anna Watts, courtesy of Pace Prints.
Nina Chanel Abney: Fishing Was His Life
The Gordon Parks Foundation is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Nina Chanel Abney. Through her use of vivid color, grand scale, and a combination of representation and abstraction,…
Malick Sidibe (1935-2016), Un yéyé en position. Estimated at $4,000 - 6,000. Courtesy Bonhams.
Bonhams Auction to Highlight Art from Africa & the Diaspora
On July 27 in New York, Bonhams auction of Modern & Contemporary Art & Photography from Africa and the Diaspora will feature a large selection of exceptional photography including a striking…
Interior view of Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure.
“Basquiat: King Pleasure” Raises Questions About Artistic Legacy
Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse: That’s often been the ticket to artistic immortality, even while coming at considerable cost. Such was the case for Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960…
White material cast to show black female figure, dressed in clothes that seem to be from the 1800s, her hands are clasped together as if in prayer but held just to the side of her face to support her chin.
"Simone Leigh: Sovereignty" at the 59th Venice Biennale
Leigh Brings an Unprecedented Degree of Black Female Representation to the U.S. Pavilion & the Venice Biennale at Large
Exhibition view featuring The Wake and Resurrection of the Bicentennial Negro (1975–89). 
“Faith Ringgold: American People” Finally Pays the Artist Her Dues
The New Museum’s retrospective of Faith Ringgold seems especially timely. The exhibition reveals how Ringgold’s work sees race not only as a matter of identity politics, but also as foundational to U…
Ethiopian artist, Ethiopia, detail of Shield, 19th - 20th century. Brass, cloth, and animal hide. Collection of Drs. John and Nicole Dintenfass. Photo by Nia Bowers.
A Must-See African Metal Arts Exhibit: “Peace, Power & Prestige”
The arrival of a traveling exhibition entitled Peace, Power & Prestige: Metal Arts in Africa comes as no surprise. Represented in everything from jewelry and weaponry to currency and identity,…
MLK Memorial of Washington D.C., Sculpted by Master Lei Yixin and Design by the ROMA Design Group, 
10 Artworks that Honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has had quite a lasting international impact. This sentiment holds within every event, tribute, or art piece created in his honor. Over the decades, artists have shared…
Installation photograph, Black American Portraits, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, November 7, 2021–April 17, 2022.
Bisa Butler on “Black American Portraits” & Her Boseman Tribute
Primarily drawn from the LACMA's collection, the exhibition brings together around 140 works spanning roughly 200 years. Subjects include a wide range—from iconic change-makers to ordinary people…
O'Keeffe and Stieglitz embracing under a tree
12 Famous Artists Who Fell in Love With Other Artists
There have been many famous, artistic love affairs and partnerships over the years. These relationships run the gamut from inspirational muses to creative partners to lovers and friends.
Fabiola Jean-Louis (Haitian, born 1978), Detail view of Justice of Ezili, 2021. Paper, gold, Swarovski crystals, lapis lazuli, labradorite, brass, ink, and resin.
Fabiola Jean-Louis & The Met’s “Before Yesterday We Could Fly”
The first female Haitian artist to exhibit at the Met, Fabiola Jean-Louis was commissioned to create a piece for its groundbreaking current exhibition, Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist…
Micaiah Carter, Adeline in Barrettes, 2018
The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion
The 15 young, international, and emerging Black photographers in this exhibition blur traditional lines between art and fashion. See over 100 vibrant portraits, conceptual images and gorgeous fashion…
Hieronymus Bosch, detail from the right panel of The Temptation of St. Anthony, c. 1501. Oil on oak panels. 52 in × 90 in. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.
10 Most Popular Art Stories of 2021
Join us in bidding 2021 goodbye with a review of our ten most popular stories of the year! Below, you'll find the names of our biggest stories, preview text, and direct links to each.
Denzil Forrester Jah Shaka 1983. Collection Shane Akeroyd, London © Denzil Forrester
"Life Between Islands" Explores Breadth of Caribbean-British Art
Opening at Tate Britain in December, Life Between Islands will be a landmark exhibition exploring the extraordinary breadth of Caribbean-British art over four generations. It will be the first time a…