Kerry James Marshall

March 2019—March 2020
A black painting is centered, visible through a doorway framed by gray concrete blocks.

In his mesmerizing figurative paintings, American artist Kerry James Marshall (b. 1955) explores history, identity, and the representation of Black figures. The works in this presentation—When Frustration Threatens Desire, 1990; Black Painting, 2003–2006; and Untitled (Underpainting), 2018—feature myriad artistic and cultural references spanning the artist’s practice, including Italian Renaissance paintings, the civil rights movement, and rituals of the African diaspora. These speak to Marshall’s relentless pursuit to challenge—and correct—the Western art historical canon and the omission of Black figures within it.

Exhibition Preview

    • Untitled (Underpainting)
      Kerry James Marshall
      Untitled (Underpainting), 2018
      Marshall 2018
    • Black Painting
      Kerry James Marshall
      Black Painting, 2003-2006
      On Loan
      Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility
      Guggenheim Museum
      New York, NY
      Marshall 2003
    • When Frustration Threatens Desire
      Kerry James Marshall
      When Frustration Threatens Desire, 1990
      Marshall 1990