Kerry James Marshall: One True Thing Meditations on Black Aesthetics

Exhibition curator Elizabeth A.T. Smith with Trisia Van Eck

Museum Of Contemorary Arts

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a style and scale reminiscent of traditional history and narrative painting, Marshall draws from a broad range of art-historical references—from Renaissance painting and folk art to El Greco and Charles White.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 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.

Exhibition Dates Birmingham Museum Of Art: February 6 through April 24, 2005