Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power - Softcover

Mark (ed) Godfrey; Zoe (ed) Whitley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849764638 ISBN 13: 9781849764636

Publisher: Tate Gallery Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

In the period of radical change that was 1963 83, young Black artists at the beginning of their careers in the USA confronted key questions and pressures. How could they make art that would stand as innovative, original, formally and materially complex, while also making work that reflected their concerns and experience as African Americans? This significant new publication surveys this crucial period in American art history, bringing to light previously neglected histories of twentieth-century Black artists, including Frank Bowling, Sam Gilliam, Melvin Edwards, Bettye Saar, Jack Whitten and William T. Williams. It accompanies a major exhibition, opening at Tate Modern and touring to Crystal Bridges and Brooklyn Museum of Art. This book features substantial essays from co-curators Mark Godfrey and Zoe Whitley, writing on abstraction and figuration respectively. It will also explore the art historical and social contexts with subjects including black feminism; AfriCOBRA and other artist-run groups; the role of museums in the debates of the period; and where visual art sat in relation to the Black Arts Movement.

About this title

Review

This is a rich, absorbing and thought-provoking exhibition with enough themes and ideas to power three shows its size ... this is an epic response to an epic subject and without doubt one of the shows of the year.--Mark Hudson "The Telegraph "

Civil rights meet aesthetics in this riveting survey of 20 crucial years of black American art and struggle ... uncovers an entire lost history of American art.--Jonathan Jones "The Guardian "

Soul of a Nation is a significant and transformative contribution to art history - and American history. Richly informative and deeply engaging, this volume documents the powerful role black artists had in shaping contemporary art and our society at a pivotal moment in history. It is sure to be a profoundly valuable resource ... for decades to come.--Thelma Golden "The Studio Museum "

A masterful catalogue published by the Tate/D.A.P., which features substantial essays that provide much-needed insights into this vastly underserved and broadly neglected period of art history.--Miss Rosen "Crave "

Successfully layering a broader socio-historical narrative onto a period of radical non-conformity, this is an important show, now.--Osei Bonsu "Frieze.com "

At London's flagship modern art gallery, Tate Modern, one of this summer's most lauded exhibitions features work by African-American artists made in the age of Martin Luther King Jr. Yet, while "Soul of a Nation" is nominally a historical display, gallery goers spilling out of the show this week found an obvious contemporary resonance to the art they had just seen.--Patrick Kingsley "New York Times "

Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power is a tour-de-force, showcasing more than 150 works by over 60 artists between 1963 and 1983...[and] features substantial essays that provide much-needed insights into this vastly underserved and broadly neglected period of art history.--Miss Rosen "Crave Online "

A sweeping look at how artists of the time responded to ideas about black identity, political activism and social responsibility.--Roslyn Sulcas "New York Times "

...a sweeping look at how artists of the time responded to ideas about black identity, political activism and social responsibility.--Roslyn Sulcas "New York Times "

..impresssive feat of research, presenting and contextualizing many artists who never became household names.--Sara Christoph "Bookforum "

From the Back Cover

In the period of radical change that was 1963-83, young black artists at the beginning of their careers in the USA confronted key questions and pressures. How could they make art that would stand as innovative, original, formally and materially complex, while also making work that reflected their concerns and experience as black Americans? This significant new publication, accompanying an exhibition at Tate Modern, surveys this crucial period in American art history, bringing to light previously neglected histories of twentieth-century black artists, including Sam Gilliam, Melvin Edwards, Jack Whitten, William T. Williams and Frank Bowling. This book features substantial essays from co-curators Mark Godfrey and Zoe Whitley, writing on abstraction and figuration respectively. It will also explore the art historical and social contexts with subjects including black feminism; AfriCOBRA and other artist-run groups; the role of museums in the debates of the period; and where visual art sat in relation to the Black Arts Movement.

About this edition

• Publisher: Tate Gallery Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1849764638
• ISBN 13: 9781849764636
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240