Black is Beautiful: Artists You Should Know

In celebration of Black History month, I'm spotlighting 6 of my favorite artists, from trailblazers who changed the course of art history to contemporary mavericks making waves on the scene today.

TARIQ OLIVER With a contemporary vernacular that blends realism and abstraction, Tariq Oliver's work exhibits ebullient improvisational and technical prowess. I love the irreverence and levity of his compostions which invite the viewer to engage, linger, and examine. I’d pair this painting with a vintage Nordic casepiece or hang as a focal point at the end of a long hall.

https://tariqoliver.com/

GORDON PARKS A celebrated filmmaker, author, composer, and the first African-American staff photographer for LIFE magazine, Gordon Parks turned his lens on the indiginities and social inequalities suffered by Black citizens during the Jim Crow Era. In a time when black-and-white-imagery was employed either deliberately or with disregard to create subsconcious distance from the viewer, the choice of vivid color humanizes the subject with cinematic poignancy. This work is perfect as a standalone piece in large format for a dining room or study.

https://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/

TAVARES STRACHAN With a catalog of prestigious international exhibitions and awards, Tavares Strachan’s conceptual pieces merge themes of science, culture, technology and politics in multi-dimensional often unconventional mediums. This life-size neon figure takes the form of Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr., the first African American astronaut to visit space. I’d display this piece in a glass-enclosed breezeway to capture the attention of voyeuristic passersby.

https://isolatedlabs.com/

JACOB LAWRENCE Raised in Harlem, Jacob Lawrence rose to fame at 23 after serving in the Coast Guard during World War II. He would later become the first African-American to be represented by a New York gallery, and earn notoriety as the most prominent African American artist of the 20th century. He was awarded both the National Medal of Arts and the Spingard Medal, which is bestowed annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for outstanding achievement by an African American. This work in his 60-panel Migration Series documents the July 1917 East St. Louis riot, a deadly attack by white residents and police on Black workers which incurred $9.82 million in today’s value of property damage and forced 6000 Black Americans to flee the city.

https://jacobandgwenlawrence.org/

DEBORAH ROBERTS Figurative mixed-media assemblages by Austin native, Deborah Roberts, explore the Black experience through playful, pop-art portraiture. Through clever use of collage, her work juxtaposes the vibrancy of youth with the fragmented view of the Black community. I’d hang a grouping of 6 to 12 of these works in a children’s bedroom or to activate a minimalist kitchen.

https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/

EMMANUEL LOUISNORD DESIR Fashioned with mechanical salvage and ripe with metaphorical narrative, the anthropomorphic sculptures of Brooklyn-born, Cooper Union graduate, Emmanuel Louisnord Desir, balance physical material weight and fantastical buoyancy. I love the dense symbolism and steampunk-meets-surrealist sensibility rendered in an elevated, polished metallic finish. I’d place this as the star in the entry of a hedge-fund headquarters or to activate a quiet corner of a living room.

https://www.eldfinearts.com/

Did you know? As part of our full-service Interior Design, we advise clients on acquistions, integrating existing pieces, and growing their collections. With access to a global network of blue chip galleries and curring edge emerging artists, we curate works of every genre, period and medium to elegantly complement furniture and finishes.