#Black Artists

Contemporary Art

4 Black Contemporary Artists Everyone Should Know

As art historians, it is our duty to acknowledge the importance of those overlooked and underprivileged artists who may not be as famous as they...

Magda Michalska 1 October 2024

Contemporary Art

13 Black Folk Artists from the American South

The thirteen self-taught artists below, from Bill Traylor to Nellie Mae Rowe, Thornton Dial to Mary T. Smith, among others, created some of the most...

Adam Oestreich 17 September 2024

Artist Stories

Faces of Mozambique: How Malangatana Reflected His Native Culture in Art

One of the most prominent African artists of the 20th century, Malangatana was a multitalented artist who had many dreams. He realized them with his...

Merve Parla 9 August 2024

Nona Faustine, ‘Dorothy Angola, Stay Free, In Land Of The Blacks’, Minetta Lane, Village, NYC, 2021, from White Shoes (MACK, 2021). Courtesy the artist and MACK. Review

In Their Shoes: Nona Faustine’s White Shoes Now at the Brooklyn Museum

White Shoes (2021) is a complete series of photographs presenting a decade-long project of Brooklyn-based artist Nona Faustine. This beautifully...

Jennifer S. Musawwir 22 April 2024

Women Artists

The Fabulous Sculpture and Mysterious Life of Edmonia Lewis

Edmonia Lewis (c. 1844-1907) was quite a force of nature. She was an African American and Native American woman who became an...

Alexandra Kiely 25 March 2024

History

Bondage and Freedom—The Protest Art of Two Abolitionists

Since the elites in power like the status quo, social reform is a grassroots movement.  How do reformers engage the masses? With art. Should protest...

Helen Jeffery 19 February 2024

Portrait of Veronica Ryan with her exhibition, Along a Spectrum, 2021, Spike Island, Bristol, UK.  Contemporary Art

Meet Veronica Ryan, The 2022 Turner Prize Winner

A great example of resilience and coherence, Veronica Ryan is the latest winner of the Turner Prize, an annual prize awarded to British contemporary...

Carlotta Mazzoli 2 February 2024

Doreen Garner. Courtesy of New Museum. Stir World. Contemporary Art

Doreen Garner: The Artist Behind KING COBRA and Body Horror Sculptures

KING COBRA, documented as Doreen Lynette Garner, is an impressive contemporary sculptor living and working in Brooklyn, New York City. Born in 1986...

Errika Gerakiti 10 January 2024

Review

Last Chance to See! Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure in Los Angeles

Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure is an immersive art experience organized in Los Angeles by the family of the artist in a space designed by the...

Jennifer S. Musawwir 22 December 2023

Video

Watch Basquiat Painting Live Downtown

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a Haitian-American artist that achieved fame as part of SAMO, an informal graffiti duo famous for enigmatic epigrams in the...

Zuzanna Stańska 22 December 2023

Jean-Michel Basquiat at an exhibition of his work in 1988, Vrej Baghoomian Gallery, New York, NY, USA. Photograph vt Julio Donoso via The Guardian. Artist Stories

Like a Flame – Jean-Michel Basquiat in 5 Paintings

He started out a couch-surfing throwaway. One day, a painting of his would sell for the highest price ever for an American artist at a public...

Helen Jeffery 22 December 2023

El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon, Installation View, Tate Modern, London, UK. African Art

5 Things to Know About El Anatsui’s Turbine Hall Commission at Tate Modern

On October 10th, the doors of Tate Modern in London swung open, unveiling a long-awaited exhibition: the annual Turbine Hall Hyundai Commission. The...

Natalia Tiberio 2 November 2023