This has culminated in a popular art history paved mostly by white artists.
Here are 16 famous African American artists that any art lover should know.
Joshua Johnson
John Jacob Anderson and Sons, John and Edward by Joshua Johnson.
“Broom Jumpers,” by Bisa Butler 2019 (quilted and appliquéd cotton, wool and chiffon | 58″ x 98″)
Born free in Upstate New York, Lewis began her career as a sculptor in Boston.
Early success funded a trip to Rome, Italy, where she spent most of her career.
HerNeoclassicalsculpture often touched on themes related to her African American and Native American heritage.
“John Jacob Anderson and Sons, John and Edward” by Joshua Johnson. c. 1812 (Photo: Joshua Johnson viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Though her popularity dwindled as interest in Neoclassical art waned, her legacy as a trailblazer never faded.
This made him the Academy’s only African American student.
While there, he studied under Thomas Eakins and was influenced by his progressive approach to art.
Edmonia Lewis (Photo: Henry Rocher viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
In fact, he took up art to rehabilitate his arm after being shot in battle.
In the 1930s, he began painting on stretched fabric and often revisited themes related to the war.
As his career continued, he painted landscapes, as well as political and biblical themes.
Henry Ossawa Tanner in 1907 (Photo: Frederick Gutekunst viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
His work often touched on themes revolving around slavery and racial discrimination.
In 1947, he became the first African American artist to be the subject of a monograph.
Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage in 1938.
Horace Pippin, “Self-Portrait II,” (Photo:The MetviaWikimedia Commons,CC0 1.0)
Savage was a Florida-born sculptor.
Du Boisa piece that put her on the map.
Today, Savage’s role in the Renaissance is mostly attached to teaching and advocacy.
Augusta Savage in 1938. (Photo: Andrew Herman viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Romare Bearden
Romare Bearden (right) discussing his painting Cotton Workers.
Throughout his long career, he experimented with different mediums, including oil paint andcollage.
At just 23 years old, he completed hisMigration Series.
Romare Bearden (right) discussing his painting “Cotton Workers.” 1944. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
He also taught at several universities and received numerous accolades and awards.
Once in New York, Douglas studied painting with German emigre artist Fritz Winold Reiss.
Many people would be satisfied with that achievement, but Thomas was not yet done.
American Gothic, Washington, D.C. (Photo: Gordon Parks viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
It was only when she retired at age 69 that she dedicated herself to her own art full-time.
Her career bloomed, and she became known for her colorful, abstract artworks.
Up until her death in 1978, Thomas continued to create and to be recognized for her artistic achievements.
Photo:Faith Ringgold, American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding, 1967.byRob Corder(CC BY-NC 4.0)
He used his camera as a tool to advocate for civil rights.
Throughout his prolific career, he documented issues of race, poverty, and policing in the U.S.
Parks was born in 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas, the youngest of 15 children.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Grillo,” 1984 (Photo:Flickr,CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
He experienced segregation and hardship early on in his life.
This led to work withEbony,Vogue, and ultimatelyLifemagazine as its first Black staff photographer.
Its a reimagining of Grant Woods famousAmerican Gothicpainting.
Kerry James Marshall, “Souvenir IV,” 1998
Shes known for her paintings, sculptures, narrative quilts, childrens books, and commitment to activism.
Her family also lived amid a bustling Harlem art scene that came alive after theHarlem Renaissance.
She created her well-known collection calledAmerican People Seriesin 1963.
Photo: Margaret Fox for the Art Institute of Chicago
Basquiat was born in Brooklyn to a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian father in 1960.
Though he tragically died at just 27 years old, Basquiat’s decade-long career led to a prodigious legacy.
His powerful paintings speak to the Black experience.
One of his most famous paintings, 1993’sThe Lost Boyswasinfluenced byhis own childhood in South Central Los Angeles.
Steeped in Black culture, his artwork often challenges stereotypes and gives voice to Black popular culture.
Walker began creating silhouettes in 1994.
I had a catharsis looking at early American varieties of silhouette cuttings, she said.
With this piece, Wiley rethinks the concept of a heroand of American identity.
We say yes to inclusivity.
We say yes to broader notions of what it means to be an American.
Each colorful picture utilizes fabric like a painter would pigment to produce regal representations of each person.
Butler learned how to sew by watching her mother and grandmother.
When she first began creating her quilt art, she depicted her family.
Now, she scours public databases for photographs that inspire her.
My community has been marginalized for hundreds of years,she writes in her artist statement.
It is only a few years ago that it was acknowledged that the White House was built by slaves.
Hear Bisa speak about her work in-depth on theMy Modern Met Top Artist podcast.
