The story of African Americans in the visual arts has closely paralleled
their social, political and economic aspirations over the last 400
years. From enslaved craftspersons to contemporary painters, printmakers
and sculptors, African American artists have created a wealth of
artistic expression that addresses common experiences, such as exclusion
from dominant cultural institutions, and confronts questions of identity
and community. This generously illustrated volume gathers more than 100
works of art in a variety of media by leading figures from the
nineteenth century to the present--among them, Henry Ossawa Tanner,
Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Lois Mailou Jones, Gordon Parks, Wifredo
Lam, Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon and Kerry James Marshall--alongside many
others who deserve to be better known, including artists from the
African diaspora in South America and the Caribbean. Arranged
thematically and featuring authoritative texts that provide historical
and interpretive context, Common Wealth invites readers to share in a
rich outpouring of art that meets shared challenges with individual
creative responses.