Black Artists in America: From Civil Rights to the Bicentennial

"Black Artists in America: From Civil Rights to the Bicentennial explores African American art during the turbulence of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The catalogue considers the various ways in which African American artists responded to growing civil unrest, challenging the cultural, environmental, political, racial, and social issues of the era. In the 1960s, Black artists who came of age during World War II and the increasing civil rights activity of the 1950s continued to challenge inequities in the art world. They created works that celebrated their racial identity, communicated with Black audiences, and participated in the struggle for political, economic, and social equality. The establishment of artist collectives such as Spiral and museums devoted to Black art, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, alongside the emergence of art historians and critics like David Driskell and Linda Goode Bryant, marked early steps to bring Black art into broader artistic discourse. In addition to 140 full-color images of approximately seventy paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from public and private collections across the country, the catalogue features in-depth essays, including original research on artists James Porter and Merton Simpson"--
"The second book in a three-volume series on Black American artists features work from the 1950s to the '70s that responded to the cultural, political and social concerns of the era."
The second book in a three-volume series on Black American artists, featuring work from the 1950s to the 1970s that responded to the cultural, political, and social concerns of the era
The second book in a three-volume series on Black American artists, featuring work from the 1950s to the 1970s that responded to the cultural, political, and social concerns of the era During the turbulent 1950s to 1970s, Black American artists, responding to increasing civil rights activism, challenged inequities in the art world. Artists created works that celebrated their racial identity, connected with Black audiences, and participated in the struggle for political, economic, and social equality. The establishment of artist collectives, such as Spiral, and museums devoted to Black art, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, alongside the emergence of art historians and critics such as David Driskell and Linda Goode Bryant, marked early steps to bring Black art into broader artistic discourse.   The book features 140 color illustrations of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by such celebrated artists as Romare Bearden, Sam Gilliam, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Howardena Pindell, and Alma Thomas, as well as by under-recognized artists. Essays provide an overview of the period and in-depth examinations of James A. Porter, an artist and art historian credited with establishing the field of African American art history, and Merton D. Simpson, an abstract painter, member of the Spiral group, and one of the most important dealers of African art in the United States. Published in association with the Dixon Gallery and GardensExhibition Schedule:Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis (October 22, 2023–January 14, 2024)  Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento (February 4–May 19, 2024)