Charles White: A Retrospective

(Los Angeles—January 16, 2019) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents the West Coast premiere of Charles White: A Retrospective, the first major exhibition of the artist Charles White (1918–1979) in over 30 years. Charles White created powerful interpretations from African American history and culture throughout his 40-year career. A gifted draftsman and printmaker as well as a talented mural and easel painter, White almost exclusively portrayed black subjects. A lifelong social activist, he championed racial pride and condemned the institutionalized racism faced by African Americans in all areas of life by using his art as a form of protest, affirmation, and celebration. Co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) and the Museum of Modern Art New York (MoMA), the exhibition showcases approximately 100 paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs that reflect White’s life as he moved from Chicago to New York to Los Angeles. White’s time in Los Angeles was an important phase of his career; he created some of his most famous works in the city.