{"id":963,"date":"2025-07-31T14:36:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/?p=963"},"modified":"2025-08-05T16:06:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T16:06:17","slug":"more-than-70-iconic-works-by-kerry-james-marshall-shape-a-major-survey-in-the-u-k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/31\/more-than-70-iconic-works-by-kerry-james-marshall-shape-a-major-survey-in-the-u-k\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 70 Iconic Works by Kerry James Marshall Shape a Major Survey in the U.K."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"More<\/p>\n

Drawing upon art historical sources, contemporary culture, and comics, Kerry James Marshall<\/a> vibrant paintings boldly challenge the past. Through often monumental portraits of Black figures, the Chicago-based artist (previously<\/a>) delves into themes of race, identity, legacy, and representation to bridge history and the present and imagine a better future.<\/p>\n

In the largest survey of the artist\u2019s work ever presented outside of the U.S., the Royal Academy of Arts<\/a> hosts Kerry James Marshall: The Histories<\/em>. Organized in collaboration with Kunsthaus Zurich and the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Art Moderne, Paris, the exhibition opens next month and features more than 70 works that span the artist\u2019s career thus far. The show also includes a monumental oil painting commissioned for the Chicago Public Library titled \u201cKnowledge and Wonder,\u201d which is on loan for the first time.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cSchool of Beauty, School of Culture\u201d (2012), acrylic and glitter on unstretched canvas, 274.3 x 401.3 centimeters. Collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama; Museum purchase with funds provided by Elizabeth (Bibby) Smith, the Collectors Circle for Contemporary Art, Jane Comer, the Sankofa Society, and general acquisition funds, 2012.57. Photo by Sean Pathasema. \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Histories <\/em>is organized into 11 groups of works made between 1980 and the present, inviting viewers through a thematic and stylistic journey. The exhibition opens with \u201cThe Academy,\u201d painted in 2012. A male model in a life drawing class stands in front of a patterned backdrop and looks directly at the viewer, giving the iconic raised fist of the Black Power movement.<\/p>\n

Marshall has long been guided by his early encounters with European art in museums and books, where he recognized a stark lack of Black figures. By the 1980s, he focused on the idea of visibility, creating the seminal piece<\/a> \u201cA Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self,\u201d which emphasizes his interest in confronting stereotypes.<\/p>\n

Typically working in series or cycles, Marshall often touches upon epochal social and political paradigms of the past, like slavery and the Middle Passage<\/a>, Black Power and the Civil Rights movement, and the historical omission of people of color from Western painting traditions. His works often highlight daily African American experience and elevate everyday activities and interactions, like gathering at the barber shop, making a painting, relaxing at the park, or hanging out on the porch. Marshall posits that the past can be a tool with which to hew the future.<\/p>\n

Kerry James Marshall: The Histories <\/em>opens on September 20 and continues through January 18 in London. Plan your visit on the RA\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cThe Academy\u201d (2012), acrylic on PVC, 182.9 x 154.9 centimeters. Collection of Dr. Daniel S. Berger, \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cKnowledge and Wonder\u201d (1995), oil on canvas, 294.6 x 698.5 centimeters. City of Chicago Public Art Program and the Chicago Public Library, Legler Regional Library, \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Photo by Patrick L. Pyszka, City of Chicago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cVignette #13\u201d (2008), acrylic on PVC panel, 182.9 x 152.4 centimeters. Susan Manilow Collection. \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cUntitled (Policeman)\u201d (2015), acrylic on PVC panel with plexiglass frame, 152.4 x 152.4 centimeters. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, gift of Mimi Haas in honor of Marie-Jos\u00e9e Kravis, 2016. \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Photo courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art, New York\/Scala, Florence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cUntitled (Porch Deck)\u201d (2014), acrylic on PVC panel, 180.3 x 149.9 centimeters. Kravis Collection, \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Image courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cDe Style\u201d (1993), acrylic and collage on canvas, 264.2 x 309.9 centimeters. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Ruth and Jacob Bloom. \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Photo: \u00a9 Museum Associates\/LACMA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cUntitled (Blanket Couple)\u201d (2014), acrylic on PVC panel, in artist\u2019s frame, 150.2 x 242.5 centimeters. Fredriksen Family Art Collection, \u00a9 Kerry James Marshall. Image courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article More than 70 Iconic Works by Kerry James Marshall Shape a Major Survey in the U.K.<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Drawing upon art historical sources, contemporary culture, and comics, Kerry James Marshall vibrant paintings boldly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":975,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963\/revisions\/975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.beatlesfansunite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}