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Regarded as one of the most prominent and acclaimed Black American artists, Walker is a contemporary painter, silhouettist, printmaker, installation artist, filmmaker, and professor. Her works explore race, gender, sexuality, violence, and identity, mostly through her iconic black paper-cut silhouette art. At the age of 28, Walker became one of the youngest ever recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship; 10 years later she was featured in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World, Artists and Entertainers. Walker’s artwork features life-size silhouettes which create an immersive feel, and which focus on themes such as how early American slavery has affected her as a Black woman.
Wiley is a New York-based portrait painter, known primarily for his depictions of Black individuals in the style of Old Master paintings. His most well-known work is his 2017 commissioned painting of former US President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. In addition to his paintings, Wiley created a 30 foot tall statue entitled Rumors of War, depicting a young Black man, sporting dreadlocks, Nike trainers and jeans, riding a horse in the style of a Confederate soldier - the statue was unveiled in Times Square, New York City. Wiley’s work has been described as “address[ing] the image and status of young African-American men in contemporary culture” by the Columbus Museum of Art, with Wiley being featured in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2018.
Born in Harlem, New York, Ringgold was an American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist. Her work is most well-known for her woven quilts, which serve a narrative purpose, and advocate for feminism and Black rights. She inherited the knowledge of African-American-style quilting from her great-grandmother, who was a slave, thus inspiring her to capture the perspective of Black slaves in her work. In addition to her quilts, Ringgold also created sculptures and engaged in performance art, inspired by African storytelling, dance, music, and costumes.
Titus Kaphar is well-recognised for his ability to reshape and revitalise art history, by incorporating African-American elements into his paintings. For example, one of his most immersive works, The Vesper Project, focuses on a fictional African-American family in the 19th century, who, in the narrative of the work, were able to ‘pass’ as a white family until their racial background is revealed to society. Kaphar’s works are held in numerous collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum and Seattle Art Museum.
A British painter and writer of Ghanaian descent, Yiadom-Boakye is well-known for her portraits of imaginary Black subjects painted in muted colours. By using a dark palette, she creates a feeling of stillness, along with contemplative facial expressions, which contribute to the timeless nature of her paintings. Yiadom-Boakye also takes inspiration from Black musicians and artists, such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Isaac Julien.
British Afro-Caribbean artist Sonia Boyce works with a variety of media, such as drawing, print, photography, video, and sound. Alongside her renowned career as an artist, she is a Professor of Black Art and Design at University of Arts London, and has been hailed as part of the Black British cultural renaissance of the 1980s. Her work references feminism and includes depictions of wallpaper patterns and bright colours associated with the Caribbean, rooting her status as a driving force in the Black contemporary scene due to her themes of how religion, politics and sexual politics affect her experience as Black woman living in a white society.
Frank Bowling is a British artist, well-known for his abstract Map paintings featuring bright smudged colours, leading him to be described as "one of Britain’s greatest living abstract painters". In 1969, Bowling organised an exhibition in New York of five Black abstract artists, including Melvin Edwards and William T. Williams - the first African American artist to be featured in The Janson History of Art - which proved highly successful. In addition to this, Bowling has been featured in more important exhibitions displaying the power of contemporary non-Western art. Bowling is represented in numerous collections across the globe, including Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Tate Britain and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Manchester born-Johnson is well-recognised for her large-scale drawings depicting Black women, being described as "one of the most accomplished figurative artists working in Britain today". Her involvement as a founding member of the BLK Art Group - consisting of British Afro-Caribbean contemporary artists such as Eddie Chambers and Marlene Smith - alongside her seminar at the First National Black Arts Conference in 1982 has led Johnson to be recognised as a pioneer for the Black feminist art movement in the UK. Johnson’s work is rooted in her African heritage, evident in her capturing the soul and spirituality of the Black women she paints.
Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo is iconic for his finger-painting style and focus on posture and texture. Memorably, his piece Suborbital Triptych was printed onto a rocket and launched into outer space in 2021, making him the first African artist to have created an artwork propelled into space. Prior to that, Boafo collaborated with fashion house Dior for their Spring/Summer 2021 Men Collection. His work Hands Up (2018) was sold for HKD 26.7 million ($3.4 million) at Christie's in Hong Kong.
Despite his short career in the art world, Basquiat made an impact through his direct social commentary, criticising colonialism and focusing on issues like poverty. His diverse heritage also inspired the Spanish titles of his works and the celebration of African-American history, with The New York Times indicating that Basquiat was "the most famous of only a small number of young black artists who have achieved national recognition." Basquiat’s collaborations with other successful artists like Andy Warhol firmly cemented his place in the contemporary art scene, with his legacy still seen today.
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