Black Art: A Cultural History (Third Edition) (World of Art)

Author: Richard J. Powell 
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Year: 2021
Pages: 304
ISBN: 978-0500204665

First published in 2003, and now a classic, this groundbreaking book explores visual representations of black culture across the globe throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. In this revised and updated edition, renowned art historian Richard J. Powell applies a thematic, object-based approach to his study of black art and culture to embrace works representing the global scope of the African diaspora.

Moving beyond painting and sculpture, this cultural history includes graphic arts, photography, film, digital technologies, and more, with an examination of how mass media has foregrounded issues around black spectatorship, racial stereotypes, and divergent cultural perspectives. Whether discussing the paintings of pioneering African American artists Henry Ossawa Tanner, the video creations of contemporary hip-hop artists, or the afrofuturism of films such as Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, this book examines the geo-political and social forces that have shaped a black presence in modern and contemporary visual culture.