African American art in the era of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers
In the period of radical change that was 1963–83, young black artists at the beginning of their careers confronted difficult questions about art, politics and racial identity. How to make art that would stand as innovative, original, formally and materially complex, while also making work that reflected their concerns and experience as black Americans?
Soul of a Nation surveys this crucial period in American art history, bringing to light previously neglected histories of 20th-century black artists, including Sam Gilliam, Melvin Edwards, Jack Whitten, William T. Williams, Howardina Pindell, Romare Bearden, David Hammons, Barkley L. Hendricks, Senga Nengudi, Noah Purifoy, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, Charles White and Frank Bowling.
The book features substantial essays from Mark Godfrey and Zoe Whitley, writing on abstraction and figuration, respectively. It also explores the art-historical and social contexts with subjects ranging from black feminism, AfriCOBRA and other artist-run groups to the role of museums in the debates of the period and visual art’s relation to the Black Arts Movement. Over 170 artworks by these and many other artists of the era are illustrated in full color.
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the first use of the term “black power” by student activist Stokely Carmichael; it will also be 50 years since the US Supreme Court overturned the prohibition of interracial marriage. At this turning point in the reassessment of African American art history, Soul of a Nation is a vital contribution to this timely subject.
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Distributed Art Pub Inc)
Library Journal Reviews
With increased attention being paid to racial tensions and conflicts, the focus of this title seems especially relevant. This accompaniment to a show at London's Tate Gallery details the extent and range of African American art from 1963 to 1983, when the struggle for civil rights became transformative for America. Like the earlier Harlem Renaissance, this era marked another emergence of artworks by and about black Americans. Artists featured include David Hammons, Howardina Pindell, Romare Bearden, Senga Nengudi, Noah Purifoy, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, and many others. The work ranges from the overtly political to more subtle comments on the black experience to abstract imagery, including a wide variety of media, primarily painting, prints, and photography. Co-curators Godfrey and Whitley organize the art around seminal events of the period, artist's groups, geographic variations, styles, etc. A number of commentators concisely offer an understanding of the trends revealed by the art. VERDICT Widely recommended. The very nature of the history of American art is greatly expanded by the recognition of the existence and importance of the works discussed and depicted here.—Eugene C. Burt, Seattle
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