Empowering Images: Black Artists Who Challenged Racial Discrimination

By Dr Joshua Y’Barbo

Ala Watches (2023) by Anita-praise Nweke

As an artist-in-residence for the TEAM LEWIS Foundation, I focus on researching the intersections of the creative and communication industries. As such, my work involves writing about important social and sustainability issues within art and culture. In honour of #RacialDiscriminationDay (March 21st), I would like to highlight a few influential black artists who have challenged racial discrimination in the art world throughout the past century. 

Art has always been a powerful tool for creating awareness and promoting societal racial equity. It has served as a medium to bring to light the daily struggles and challenges people of colour face. According to un.org, The 2024 International Day theme is “A Decade of Recognition, Justice, and Development: Implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent”, which recognises, promotes and protects the human rights of this international community of people. Artists like Augusta Savage, Faith Ringgold, Emory Douglas, Barkley L. Hendricks, Lubaina Himid, and Kehinde Wiley use art to promote anti-racial discrimination and a message of humanity, not racism.

Augusta Savage, the trailblazing Harlem Renaissance artist and the first woman in America to open a gallery to showcase black artists, advocated for Black Americans' equal rights through sculpting, teaching, and activism in the arts (Marsh and Widing 2019, Sayej 2019). Savage used her personal experiences and the skills she gained as an artist, teacher, and activist to bring equity to the arts.  

Born near Jacksonville, Florida, Savage moved to New York City in 1921 to study art at Cooper Union, beating out 142 men on the waiting list for her spot at the college. In 1923, Savage applied for a summer art program sponsored by the French government but was ultimately rejected because of her race. Thus began her lifelong fight to democratize and equalize the arts. One of her first commissions, a bust of W. E. B. DuBois for the Harlem Library, was well-received, and Savage proceeded to sculpt other African-American leaders, including Marcus Garvey and William Pickens Sr.

Marsh and Widing (2019)

Savage's experience with racism in art led her to create opportunities for black artists. She accomplished this by producing art representing black leaders, promoting the work of other black artists, and teaching art to black communities in New York City. Her goal was to tackle the exclusion of people of colour and women in the arts before the civil rights era and at the beginning of World War II in Europe. This was particularly relevant due to the migration of European artists to New York City, which transformed it into an international art capital.

Born at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Faith Ringgold's art has been a powerful force in advocating for civil rights and challenging the exclusion of black and female artists in the art world. 

Ringgold’s oil paintings and posters begun in the mid-to-late 1960s carried strong political messages in support of the civil-rights movement. She demonstrated against the exclusion of black and female artists by New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in 1968–70. She was arrested for desecrating the American flag in 1970 as a participant in The People’s Flag Show, held at the Judson Memorial Church in New York. Ringgold cofounded Where We At, a group for African-American female artists, in 1971.

Guggenheim.org (n.d.)

Throughout her career, Ringgold's art has been a powerful advocate for creating spaces for black artists and sharing anti-racism messages. Her artwork expanded beyond painting to include quilted textiles and children's stories, amplifying her influence in promoting diversity and inclusivity in art.

Similarly, Emory Douglas exerted a significant influence in raising awareness for black rights through his art during the Civil Rights era, solidifying his position as one of the most influential radical political artists of the 20th century.

The former Minister of Culture and Revolutionary Artist for the Black Panther Party, Douglas helped define the aesthetics of protest at the height of the Civil Rights era, cementing his status among the 20th century’s most influential radical political artists. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he designed all but one of the Party’s newspapers, each issue marked by the artist’s bold, figurative illustrations outlined in thick black line and contrasted with bright colors, block text, and photomontage.

MoMA (n.d.)

Douglas combined art and activism to draw attention to the systemic racism in post-civil rights America. He created an iconic protest aesthetic and used do-it-yourself forms of mass media to spread anti-racist messages of democratic equality. This combination of activism and aesthetics gave birth to an entire movement, with future generations of artists, designers, and activists creating their unique styles and using similar tactics to address significant interconnections between environmental, racial, and social justice issues.

As with Savage and Ringgold, Barkley L. Hendricks addressed the racism in Euro-Western aesthetics and the lack of representation of black people in art institutions internationally by creating black portraiture and conceptualist paintings.

Hendricks attended Yale before touring Europe, where he was troubled by the lack of diversity found within art museums. This inspired his sticking, life-size portraits of everyday black Americans, which gave representation to a repressed community. He revolutionised portraiture, portraying his subjects with dignity, style and swagger, while also depicting their vulnerability. One of his most famous works, Superman Never Saved Any Black People, takes its cue from a remark by Bobby Seale, founder of the Black Panther Party.  

Mann (2022).

Hendrick used references to Superman and the Black Panther Party to highlight the racism in everyday popular culture and the social and political injustices faced by black communities. These issues are often overlooked by more privileged individuals, knowingly or unknowingly. He combined classical art motifs and approaches with the subtle, hidden structures of racism in art and comics perpetuated by both high and low culture.

Lubaina Himid, who identifies as a 'black feminist,' represents the intersection of racial and gender equality in her work (Tate.org). She expertly incorporates these themes into her art, using her paintings as a platform to raise awareness and tell stories that amplify the voices of other black artists. ‘It is important to remember that much discussion of women in art fails to address the experience of people of colour. Not only does Himid tackle this bias in her artwork, she also actively works to give other black artists a voice’ (Marsh and Widing 2019). Additionally, ‘In 2010 […] Himid was appointed MBE for her “services to black women’s art” and in 2017 became the first woman of colour to win the Turner Prize’ (Tate.org). Through the narratives depicted in her artwork, she draws attention to social issues and advocates for greater inclusivity and representation within the art world. Her achievements are acknowledged for their impact on black British communities and artists.

Kehinde Wiley, a renowned American artist, is widely known for his significant contributions to challenging racism within classical aesthetics. His iconic portraits feature people of colour in traditional Old Master painting settings. One of his most notable works is the portrait of Barack Obama, marking two historical moments for black communities in America: the inauguration of the first Black president and the first Black artist to paint the official presidential portrait. Through his art, Wiley effectively challenged the historical underrepresentation of non-white subjects in traditional art forms. According to the National Gallery (n.d.) in the U.K., 

[Wiley’s] work references the canon of European portraiture by positioning contemporary Black sitters from a range of ethnic and social backgrounds in the poses of the original historical, religious or mythological figures. His images – as part quotation, part intervention – raise questions about power, privilege, identity, and above all highlight the absence or relegation of Black figures within European art.

Wiley's art references classical European portraiture by placing modern Black subjects from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds in classic poses and figures inspired by history, religion, and mythology. In doing so, he reclaims and reinterprets traditions and represents Black artists and communities, challenging and reshaping the narrative of art history.

Savage, Ringgold, Douglas, Hendricks, Himid, and Wiley present a modern and contemporary art history that used the power of art to convey a message of humanity and promote racial equity in society while placing the presentation of black communities and artists at the forefront of their work. They use art and art education to highlight the inequality within art institutions that reflects greater institutional injustice, inspiring and teaching future generations to join the campaign against racial injustice and environmental and social. As we observe the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, let us remember the power of art to create a positive cultural contribution and promote equality for all. Let's not forget that whether we are allies or members of communities facing injustice, we all have a role in raising awareness and educating others for a more democratic and fairer world.

References

(n.d.) Barkley L. Hendricks. Available at: https://www.barkleylhendricks.com/ (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

A new African American Identity: The Harlem Renaissance (2018) National Museum of African American History and Culture. Available at: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/new-african-american-identity-harlem-renaissance (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Augusta Savage (n.d.) Smithsonian American Art Museum. Available at: https://americanart.si.edu/artist/augusta-savage-4269 (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Emory Douglas. The Black Panther Newspaper, vol. 3, no. 23 (Nixon ... (n.d.) moma.org. Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/401447 (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Emory Douglas | Moma (n.d.) moma.org. Available at: https://www.moma.org/artists/70943 (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Faith Ringgold (n.d.) The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Available at: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/faith-ringgold (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Holm, N. and Tilley, E. (2023). The Aesthetics of Creative Activism: Introduction, Academic.oup.com. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/jaac/article/81/2/131/7185629 (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (n.d.). United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-racism-day (accessed 27 Mar 2024). 

International Decade for people of African descent (n.d.) United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/observances/decade-people-african-descent (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Kehinde Wiley studio KW studio (n.d.) Kehinde Wiley Studio. Available at: https://kehindewiley.com/ (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Mann, M. (2022). Influential black artists that confront race and systemic oppression within their work. Luxury London. Available at: https://luxurylondon.co.uk/culture/art/influential-black-artists-that-challenge-race-inequality/ (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Marsh, A. and Widing, K. (2020) 20 best female artists of all time - most influential female artists ..., harpersbazaar.com. Available at: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/g7916/best-female-artists/ (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

People of colour have been shut out of the climate debate. Social Justice is the key to the green agenda | Julian Agyeman (2022) The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/06/colour-climate-social-justice-green-environmental (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Post Civil Rights Era (no date) Jim Crow Museum. Available at: https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/timeline/postcivil.htm (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Rice, D. and Name (1993) The hidden theme: Viewing art through Western eyes, MuseumEd. Available at: https://www.museum-ed.org/the-hidden-theme-viewing-art-through-western-eyes/ (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Sayej, N. (2019) Augusta Savage: the extraordinary story of the trailblazing artist/ theguardian.com. Available (online) at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/may/08/augusta-savage-black-artist-new-york (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Sisum, D. (2018) Former President Barack Obama by artist Kehinde Wiley, National Portrait Gallery. Available at: https://npg.si.edu/Barack_Obama (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Tate.org. (n.d.) Lubaina Himid: Tate modern. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/lubaina-himid (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Tate.org. (n.d.) Turner Prize 2017: Ferens Art Gallery. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/ferens-art-gallery/turner-prize-2017 (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

Tate.org. (n.d.). Women and Power: Explore stories of women’s empowerment across the centuries through works in our collection. Available [online] at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/women-art-tate/women-and-power (26 March 2024). 

The Black Panther Party. (n.d.) National Archives and Records Administration. Available at: https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power/black-panthers#:~:text=The%20Black%20Panther%20Party%20for,defense%2C%20particularly%20against%20police%20brutality. (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

The Library of Congress. (n.d.). The Civil Rights Movement:  the post war united states, 1945-1968: U.S. history primary source timeline:  classroom materials at the Library of Congress. Available at: https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/post-war-united-states-1945-1968/civil-rights-movement/ (Accessed: 27 March 2024). 

The National Gallery. (n.d.) Kehinde Wiley at the National Gallery, Kehinde Wiley | Past exhibitions. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/past/kehinde-wiley (Accessed: 27 March 2024).