Kerry James Marshall

The largest UK survey of Kerry James Marshall’s work to date is accompanied by a new series of paintings created especially for the exhibition. The Histories is the most extensive publication on the artist to date, celebrating half a century of his work. It reveals how Marshall transforms histories of Western painting by centering Black bodies in ambitious scenes set in barber shops, public housing projects, parks, and beauty salons. The book charts his use of portraiture to memorialise figures such as Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, and Olaudah Equiano, and presents a new series illustrated here for the first time that explores under-acknowledged facets of African history. Lavishly illustrated with all exhibition works, the volume includes chapters on Marshall’s Rhythm Mastr project and his public commissions, including stained glass windows for a cathedral in Washington, D.C. A survey by Mark Godfrey is complemented by essays from Aria Dean, Darby English, Madeleine Grynsztejn, Cathérine Hug, Nikita Sena Quarshie, Rebecca Zorach, and an interview between Marshall and Benjamin H. D. Buchloh. Publication details: 256 pages, hardcover, multilingual edition.

The publication gathers contributions from noted scholars and offers a wide-ranging view of Marshall’s practice across five decades, tying together painting, sculpture, and public art.

Kenmerken

• Comprehensive survey of Marshall’s work to date
• New paintings created for the exhibition
• Includes Rhythm Mastr project and public commissions
• Portraiture memorializes Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Equiano
• Highlights Africa-history themes with under-acknowledged aspects
• Lavish illustrations of all exhibition works