Apart from the advent of hip hop, not much gets a look in over white counterparts. Barkley L. Hendricks’ portraits were striking in recognising the beauty of post-Civil Rights blackness and every decade after. The contrast of minimalism and abundant strength in his paintings were unfortunately overlooked by those in the museums.
Kriston Capps of The Atlantic wrote a brilliant piece on his work and what it meant to black culture.
He never painted black people in protest or in crisis. Ideas about black nationalisms surfaced in his work as they were reflected in the world of images.
Barkley L. Hendricks died last Tuesday at the age of 72.
Barkley L. Hendricks – 'I Want to Be Memorable' | TateShots
