February is Black History Month, an opportunity to celebrate the triumphs and honor the struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history. There are always works on view at the Crocker that represent different cultures, time periods, and lived experiences, but this month, we would like to specifically highlight the artistic contributions of Black artists represented in our collection. On your next visit, look for “Celebrating Black History” stickers next to our regular labels, and read on for seven critical works by Black artists that you don’t want to miss!
Grafton Tyler Brown, American, 1841–1918
Grafton Tyler Brown, American, 1841–1918. Grotto Geyser, Yellowstone, 1891. Oil on canvas. Crocker Art Museum, gift of Denise and Donald C. Timmons, 2013.33.
Did you know that Grafton Tyler Brown was California’s first African American artist? A topographic artist, lithographer, and landscape painter, Brown was born in Pennsylvania and moved to San Francisco in 1855. Upon moving to Canada in the early 1870s, he increasingly pursued landscape painting, like this scene of Grotto Geyser in Yellowstone National Park.
Marie Johnson Calloway, American, 1920 – 2018
Marie Johnson Calloway, American, 1920–2018. Mother and daughter, 1970. Painted wood, fabric, and hair. Crocker Art Museum purchase with funds from the George and Bea Gibson Fund, and Michael Himovitz Fund, 2021.5.1.
This tender mother-and-daughter image was crafted from painted wood, fabric, and hair by African American artist Marie Johnson Calloway. In the 1960s, Calloway became active in the civil rights movement, and after participating in the march in Selma, Alabama with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she left abstraction behind to address themes of the Black experience.
Elizabeth Catlett, American, 1915 – 2012
Elizabeth Catlett (American, 1915–2012). Walking Woman, 1993. Bronze. Crocker Art Museum purchase with contributions from The Links; Margaret Langford; Emily Leff and James Davis III; Celestine and Scott Syphax; Sandy Burton Yasso and James Yasso; Claudia Coleman; and others, 2018.4.
Elizabeth Catlett was a graphic artist, sculptor, printmaker, and teacher. The first female sculpture professor at the University of Mexico, Catlett is best known for her depictions of the African American experience, focusing particularly on women, and her work is meant to convey social messages rather than pure aesthetics. It combines abstract and figural elements, with influence from Africa and Mexico.
Richard Mayhew, American, born 1924
Richard Mayhew, American, born 1924. Nostalgia, 2016. Oil on canvas. Crocker Art Museum, gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D., 2017.42.
Richard Mayhew was a founding member of Spiral, a New York-based collective of African American artists formed in 1963 in response to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Once a jazz musician, his talent for musical improvisation carried over into his spontaneous, expressionistic landscape paintings, which he refers to as “moodscapes.”
Kehinde Wiley, American, born 1977
Kehinde Wiley, American, born 1977. Portrait of Simon George II, 2007. Oil on canvas. Crocker Art Museum purchase with contributions from Denise and Donald Timmons; the Marcy and Mort Friedman Acquisition Fund for Contemporary Art; Marcy Friedman; Emily Leff and James Davis III; the Becky B. Krisik Fund; Linda M. Lawrence; Nancy Lawrence and Gordon Klein; Glenn Sorensen, Jr.; David Gibson and William Ishmael; and others, 2017.130.
Perhaps most famous for his portrait of former president Barack Obama, Kehinde Wiley is known for recasting classic works of art with Black subjects. In this portrait, the figure holds a tulip, a nod to the Dutch Golden Age and, perhaps, the work of Hans Holbein the Younger, whose Simon George of Cornwall may have served as a model for the figure’s pose.
Akinsanya Kambon, American, born 1946
Akinsanya Kambon, American, born 1946. Contradictions, 2016. Raku-fired clay. Crocker Art Museum purchase with funds from Barbara and William Hyland; the Becky B. Krisik Fund; and Emily Leff and James L. Davis III, 2020.85.1.
Born Mark Teemer in Sacramento, Akinsanya Kambon is a former Marine, Black Panther, and art professor. He has made numerous trips to Africa to research the religion of the Yoruba people of West Africa and his ancestry. This vessel, which was Raku-fired, depicts the Yoruba deity Eshu at the top, overseeing quarrelsome spirits known as orishas.
June Edmonds, American, born 1959
June Edmonds, American, born 1959. Still saying her name (flag), 2020. Acrylic on canvas. Crocker Art Museum purchase with funds provided by Simon K. Chiu, 2021.116.1.
June Edmonds is a California artist living and working in Los Angeles. Inspired by West African textiles, she weaves together colors and shapes for this work that resembles an American flag. Although abstract, the work directly relates to the Black experience in the United States, particularly the ways in which race, nationality, and gender are politicized. It is dedicated to Breonna Taylor, who was killed in 2020 by police while sleeping in her own home.
