Rashid Johnson

Untitled (Small Anxious Man)

2021

Rashid Johnson explores elements of cultural identity through a wide range of media, with a focus on African-American history.

Many of Johnson's works are poignant meditations on race and class. The artist is known for using both abstraction and autobiographical elements in his work juxtaposed with aspects relating to science and African-American history.

Johnson frequently introduces new techniques to his practice, whether at his own printmaking atelier or through frequent collaborations. He also makes his own tools to score, scrape, engrave, and brand his artwork.

Regardless of medium, Johnson's aesthetic is known for its repeated motifs such as giant black forms — sometimes aggressive, sometimes gestural — that seem to devour their pictorial plane.

A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Johnson’s work can be found in museum collections around the world. In 2011, he was featured in the international pavilion at the Venice Biennale. He is also one of the youngest artists to have works pass the $1 million dollar mark at auction.

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(Biography provided by Caviar20)