For centuries, art history was almost exclusively the domain of white men. Artists of color were largely excised from the record, and those who were acknowledged were relegated to a secondary role within the art-historical narrative. Once New York became the world center for art production in the middle of the 20th century, the number of African American artists who were working there made the lack of attention even more glaring.
Thanks to the civil rights movement, in the 1970s the art world began hearing demands for greater recognition of African Americans, and by the ’90s these demands had become increasingly difficult to ignore. In the 21st century, Black artists have at last begun to gain equal footing with their white counterparts, as the number of recent monographs on African American painters makes clear. Here are eight books on African American painters working today that deserve a place on your bookshelf.
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