Kerry James Marshall

(American, born 1955)

Kerry James Marshall is a contemporary painter whose work explores the complex effects of the Civil Rights movement on the everyday life on African Americans. Through narrative scenes that draw both from history and the artist’s own life, Marshall delves into obscure moments and objects important to contemporary and past black culture. His work is likewise concerned with the tradition of Western painting, and the notion of mastery, authorship, and the erasure of black bodies throughout art history. Like Kara Walker, Marshall often exaggerates the color of the people in his work making them as black as the pigment will allow, drawing more attention to the surrounding color and content of his paintings. Born on October 17, 1955 in Birmingham, AL, he grew up in the Watts neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles, going on to study at the Otis College of Art and Design. “You can’t be born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1955 and grow up in South Central near the Black Panthers headquarters, and not feel like you’ve got some kind of social responsibility,” the artist has said of his upbringing. Marshall has shown with David Zwirner Gallery in New York, and his works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis among others. In 2016, his work was the subject of a major retrospective titled “Mastry” that would travel to the MCA Chicago, MOCA, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art to widespread critical acclaim. Marshall lives and works in Chicago, IL.

Related Categories

African American Art, Contemporary Art, Drawings and Works on Paper, Prints and Multiples

Related Artists

Barkley L. Hendricks, Glenn Ligon, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Kerry James Marshall (59 results)
Untitled (Handsome Young Man), 2010

Kerry James Marshall

Untitled (Handsome Young Man), 2010

Art Wise

Price on Request

Vignette (Wishing Well), 2010

Kerry James Marshall

Vignette (Wishing Well), 2010

Art Wise

Price on Request

The Club, 2011–2012

Kerry James Marshall

The Club, 2011–2012

Jack Shainman Gallery

Not Available

Study for Bang, 1994

Kerry James Marshall

Study for Bang, 1994

Jack Shainman Gallery

Price on Request

Untitled (Woman), 2010

Kerry James Marshall

Untitled (Woman), 2010

Senior & Shopmaker Gallery

Price on Request

Untitled (Woman), 2010

Kerry James Marshall

Untitled (Woman), 2010

Greg Kucera Gallery

Price on Request

Keeping the Culture, 2011

Kerry James Marshall

Keeping the Culture, 2011

Sale Date: June 19, 2018

Auction Closed

PAST TIMES, 1997

Kerry James Marshall

PAST TIMES, 1997

Sale Date: May 16, 2018

Auction Closed

Untitled (Blanket Couple), 2014

Kerry James Marshall

Untitled (Blanket Couple), 2014

Sale Date: May 17, 2018

Auction Closed

UNTITLED (STONO DRAWING), 2012

Kerry James Marshall

UNTITLED (STONO DRAWING), 2012

Sale Date: May 17, 2018

Auction Closed

DRAW ME, 2012

Kerry James Marshall

DRAW ME, 2012

Sale Date: May 17, 2018

Auction Closed

PORTRAIT OF NAT TURNER ON LOAN FROM HELL, 1990

Kerry James Marshall

PORTRAIT OF NAT TURNER ON LOAN FROM HELL, 1990

Sale Date: May 17, 2018

Auction Closed

STUDY FOR 'SLOW DANCE, 1992

Kerry James Marshall

STUDY FOR 'SLOW DANCE, 1992

Sale Date: May 17, 2018

Auction Closed

LOST BOYS: AKA BLACK AL, 1993

Kerry James Marshall

LOST BOYS: AKA BLACK AL, 1993

Sale Date: May 17, 2018

Auction Closed

You Must Suffer if You Want to be Beautiful, 1991

Kerry James Marshall

You Must Suffer if You Want to be Beautiful, 1991

Sale Date: May 17, 2018

Auction Closed

Memento, 1997

Kerry James Marshall

Memento, 1997

Sale Date: April 24, 2018

Auction Closed

Keeping the Culture, 2011

Kerry James Marshall

Keeping the Culture, 2011

Sale Date: April 18, 2018

Auction Closed

Keeping the Culture, 2011

Kerry James Marshall

Keeping the Culture, 2011

Sale Date: January 30, 2018

Auction Closed

Still Life with Wedding Portrait, 2015

Kerry James Marshall

Still Life with Wedding Portrait, 2015

Sale Date: November 15, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1996

Kerry James Marshall

Untitled, 1996

Sale Date: November 15, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled (Handsome Young Man) & Untitled..., 2010

Kerry James Marshall

Untitled (Handsome Young Man) & Untitled..., 2010

Sale Date: August 30, 2017

Auction Closed

RED HOT DEAL, 2012

Kerry James Marshall

RED HOT DEAL, 2012

Sale Date: May 19, 2017

Auction Closed

Drawing (Two Heads) (Study for Vignette), 2005

Kerry James Marshall

Drawing (Two Heads) (Study for Vignette), 2005

Sale Date: May 17, 2017

Auction Closed

Rythm Mastr (three comic newspapers), 1999

Kerry James Marshall

Rythm Mastr (three comic newspapers), 1999

Sale Date: January 26, 2017

Auction Closed

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