Charles White: A Retrospective

The first major 21st-century museum retrospective on this famed mid-century artist, Charles White: A Retrospective traces White’s career and impact in the cities he called home: Chicago, his birthplace; New York, where he joined social causes and gained acclaim; and Los Angeles, where he developed his mature art and became a civil rights activist. The exhibition includes approximately 100 drawings and prints along with lesser-known oil paintings. A superb draftsman, White focused on images of both historical and contemporary African Americans, depicted in ideal portraits and everyday scenes. He extolled their dignity, humanity, and heroism in the face of the country’s long history of racial injustice and encouraged his viewers and fellow artists of color to project their own self-worth. White created non-violent images despite escalating racial tensions; only in the mid-1960s did he become frustrated with the slow progress and begin to infuse his work with allusions to the continuing violence, poverty, and disparity of educational, housing, employment, and voting opportunities.  

  • Resnick Pavilion