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Kerry James Marshall More Art

American, b. 1955

In his multifaceted work, Kerry James Marshall strives to address “the lack in the image bank” by elevating Black figures who have been excluded from Western art. Using a variety of black pigments, the artist heightens the skin tones of his subjects to honor their identities rather than ignore them. Best known for his large-scale paintings, Marshall also works in collage, photography, video and other media.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Marshall later grew up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, where his family relocated in 1963. As he studied art, including at the Otis Art Institute (now Otis College of Art and Design) in Los Angeles, he was struck by the absence of Black bodies in art history and museums. At the age of 25, he painted A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self (1980). Its central figure, whose features almost merge with the background in their varying shades of black, references Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the protagonist of which cannot be seen as a human being by other members of society because he is Black. For Marshall, A Portrait marked the start of an ongoing examination of the simultaneous visibility and invisibility of Black Americans.

Marshall’s practice has continued to concentrate on confronting stereotypes in the Black experience by celebrating joy and commemorating moments of Black history. His paintings frequently engage with the white-dominated traditions of the art historical canon by borrowing elements of style ranging from the Renaissance to the abstract movements of the 20th century. While he has said that he is driven by a sense of social responsibility for what he witnessed growing up in the South before the Civil Rights Act and in Los Angeles during the Watts riots of 1965, Marshall doesn’t focus on trauma in his works’ narrative scenes. Instead, they regularly depict people involved in everyday activities yet portrayed with the monumentality of a tableau painting.

Now based in Chicago, Marshall is recognized as one of the country’s leading contemporary painters, with a 2016 retrospective, "Mastry," touring the MCA Chicago, MOCA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2018, his painting Marshall’s Past Times (1997) sold for $21.1 million, the highest ever auction price for a work by a living Black artist.

Browse a collection of Kerry James Marshall’s art on 1stDibs.

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Artist: Kerry James Marshall
SCOUT SERIES SET OF 6
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Washington , DC, DC
comes with original packaging
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Thread

Mastry By Kerry James Marshall
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Mastry By Kerry James Marshall 2016 Medium: Offset Lithograph Paper Size: 26.5 x 32.75 inches ( 67 x 83 cm ) Image Size: 21 x 30.75 inches ( 53 x 78 cm ) Edition Size: Unknown
Category

2010s Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

DEN MOTHER
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Washington , DC, DC
comes with original packaging
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Thread

BROWNIE
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Washington , DC, DC
comes with original packaging
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Thread

BROWNIE
$600 Sale Price
20% Off
MOCA LA banner
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Washington , DC, DC
Double sided vinyl banner produced in 2017 on the occasion of the exhibition Kerry James Marshall: Mastry at MOCA March 12-July 3, 2017.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Plastic

SCOUT (BOY)
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Washington , DC, DC
comes with original packaging
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Thread

CUB SCOUT
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Washington , DC, DC
comes with original packaging
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Thread

Large MOCA LA Street Vinyl Outdoor Banner for Kerry James Marshall Show - RARE
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in New York, NY
Kerry James Marshall MOCA LA Street Banner (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles), 2017 Silkscreen on Vinyl 95 × 34 inches Original Gigantic Flagpole Banner exhibited on the stree...
Category

2010s Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Plastic, Screen

Mastry New and Sealed Exhibition Hardcover Catalogue
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Draper, UT
The definitive monograph on contemporary African American painter Kerry James Marshall, accompanying a major traveling retrospective. This long-awaited volume celebrates the work of ...
Category

2010s Kerry James Marshall More Art

Materials

Archival Paper

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SCOUT SERIES SET OF 6
By Kerry James Marshall
Located in Washington , DC, DC
comes with original packaging
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kerry James Marshall More Art

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Thread

Kerry James Marshall more art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Kerry James Marshall more art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Kerry James Marshall in cord, thread, archival paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Kerry James Marshall more art, so small editions measuring 3 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jenny Holzer, Christopher Wool, and Jonas Wood. Kerry James Marshall more art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $500 and tops out at $7,998, while the average work can sell for $750.
Questions About Kerry James Marshall More Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Kerry James Marshall is famous for using a variety of black pigments to depict themes of the black experience and history. His works confront stereotypes of African-Americans by celebrating and commemorating moments in their history. Browse a selection of Kerry James Marshall art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Kerry Marshall's art is in galleries and museums located around the world. Some of these institutions include Modern Art Oxford in Oxford, UK; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, California; the Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. You'll find a selection of Kerry Marshall art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Kerry James Marshall is known for his acrylic paintings that pair realism with elements of collage and signage. Strongly influenced by childhood experiences in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, his art reflects this by confronting racial stereotypes in contemporary society. On 1stDibs, find a variety of original artwork from top artists.