Black Art

A Cultural History

A groundbreaking book that explores the visual representations of Black culture across the globe throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first

The African diaspora — a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade and Western colonialism — has generated a wide array of artistic achievements, from blues and reggae, to the paintings of the pioneering African American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner and video creations of contemporary hip-hop artists.

This book concentrates on how these works, often created during times of major social upheaval and transformation, use Black culture both as a subject and as context. From musings on "the souls of Black folk" in late nineteenth-century art, to questions of racial and cultural identities in performance, media, and computer-assisted arts in the twenty-first century, this book examines the philosophical and social forces that have shaped a Black presence in modern and contemporary visual culture.

Now updated, this new edition helps us understand better how the first two decades of the twenty-first century have been a transformative moment in which previous assumptions about race, difference, and identity have been irrevocably altered, with art providing a useful lens through which to think about these compelling issues.

With 218 illustrations in colour

ISBN: 9780500204665 | Published: 31 August 2021 | Paperback | 360 pages