Kerry James Marshall: One True Thing, Meditations on Black Aesthetics

A recipient of the coveted MacArthur Fellow award, Kerry James Marshall is best known for his monumental figurative paintings of subjects stemming from the Civil Rights movement and his experiences as an African American. Using a style and scale reminiscent of traditional history and narrative painting, Marshall draws from a broad range of art-historical references—from Renaissance painting and folk art to El Greco and Charles White. This exhibition is the first significant showing of this Chicago-based artist’s work in five years. It consists of a major new body of work in painting, sculpture, photography, and video that demonstrates Marshall’s ongoing engagement with ideas and images drawn from black history and cultural traditions.


Kerry James Marshall: One True Thing, Meditations on Black Aesthetics was organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and curated by Elizabeth Smith, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, with Tricia Van Eck, curatorial coordinator. Major support for this exhibition is provided by the Harris Family Foundation in honor of Bette and Neison Harris. Additional support is provided by The Joyce Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Peter Norton Family Foundation, The Boeing Company, and Loop Capital Markets.

In Miami, the exhibition is supported by Miami Art Museum's Annual Exhibition Fund and is coordinated by MAM Curator Lorie Mertes.

• gallery notes (pdf)