An authoritative guide to one of the world's most important
collections of African-American art, with works by artists from Romare
Bearden to Kehinde Wiley.
The artists featured in Black Refractions, including Kerry James
Marshall, Faith Ringgold, Nari Ward, Norman Lewis, Wangechi Mutu, and
Lorna Simpson, are drawn from the renowned collection of the Studio
Museum in Harlem. Through exhibitions, public programs, artist
residencies, and bold acquisitions, this pioneering institution has
served as a nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally,
and internationally since its founding in 1968. Rather than aim to
construct a single history of black art, Black Refractions emphasizes
a plurality of narratives and approaches, traced through 125 works in
all media from the 1930s to the present.
An essay by Connie Choi and entries by Eliza A. Butler, Akili Tommasino,
Taylor Aldridge, Larry Ossei Mensah, Daniela Fifi, and other luminaries
contextualize the works and provide detailed commentary. A dialogue
between Thelma Golden, Connie Choi, and Kellie Jones draws out themes
and challenges in collecting and exhibiting modern and contemporary art
by artists of African descent. More than a document of a particular
institution's trailblazing path, or catalytic role in the development of
American appreciation for art of the African diaspora, this volume is a
compendium of a vital art tradition.
