Movement and Meaning: Black Artists in the 20th Century

Movement and Meaning: Black Artists in the 20th Century

A full-length super-realist portrait of a man with dark skin, black shoes, and an all-white outfit. He leans back with a slight swagger, hands relaxed behind his back, a toothpick hanging from his lips, and an intricate scene reflected in his large wire-rimmed sunglasses.
A full-length super-realist portrait of a man with dark skin, black shoes, and an all-white outfit. He leans back with a slight swagger, hands relaxed behind his back, a toothpick hanging from his lips, and an intricate scene reflected in his large wire-rimmed sunglasses.

Barkley L. Hendricks, Steve, (1976). Magna, acrylic, and oil on linen, 72 × 48in. (182.9 × 121.9 cm). Purchase and gift with funds from the Arthur M. Bullowa Bequest by exchange, the Jack E. Chachkes Endowed Purchase Fund, and the Wilfred P. and Rose J. Cohen Purchase Fund

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This event is free, but capacity is limited. Advance registration is recommended, but drop-ins are welcome provided space is available.

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Floor 7, Outdoor Gallery

Aug 9, 4 pm
Sept 9, 4 pm

This guided tour, led by Joan Tisch Teaching Fellow Katherine Cheairs, takes visitors on a journey through the work of 20th-century Black artists featured in the permanent collection exhibition “Untitled” (America). Featured artists include Barkley L. Hendricks, Richmond Barthé, Eldzier Cortor, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Alma Thomas. Viewing the work through the lens of movement, we consider how these artists explore history, identity, and personhood in geographic, political, and aesthetic terms. 

Katherine “Kat” Cheairs, MFA, is a Joan Tisch Teaching Fellow at the Whitney and an interdisciplinary artist, curator, educator, and researcher. Cheairs holds a BA in Political Science from Tufts University and an MFA in Film from the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University and is currently pursuing a doctorate in art and art education at Teachers College, Columbia University, where their research focuses on arts-based research, Black feminist theory, Black studies, queer theory, and affect studies. They are also a frequent collaborator on archival and video-based projects at the intersection of AIDS, art, and activism and currently serve on the board of Visual AIDS.


On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Frank WANG Yefeng, The Levitating Perils #2

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

On the Hour projects can contain motion and sound. To respect your accessibility settings autoplay is disabled.