Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985

Price: $65.00
(as of Jul 26, 2025 12:58:17 UTC – Details)


Featuring more than 100 artists, this landmark book charts the intricate connections between photography and the Black Arts Movement
 
The Black Arts Movement brought together writers, filmmakers, and visual artists who were exploring ways of using art to advance civil rights and Black self-determination. This book examines the vital role of photography in the evolution of the Black Arts Movement, revealing how photographs operated across art, community building, journalism, and political messaging to contribute to the development of a distinctly Black art and culture.
 
Works by Romare Bearden, Dawoud Bey, Kwame Brathwaite, Samuel Fosso, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Gordon Parks, Juan Sánchez, Robert A. Sengstacke, Lorna Simpson, Ming Smith, and Carrie Mae Weems, among dozens of other celebrated and underappreciated artists, span documentary and fashion photography, portraiture, collage, installation, performance, and video. Pictured luminaries include Miles Davis, Mahalia Jackson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Malcolm X, and many more. The book’s essays by distinguished scholars focus on topics such as women and the movement, community, activism, and Black photojournalism. Taking an expansive approach, the authors consider the complex connections between American artists and the African diaspora and the dynamic interchange of pan-African ideas that propelled the movement. Authoritative and beautifully illustrated, this is the definitive volume on photography and the Black Arts Movement.
 
Published in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington
 
Exhibition Schedule:
 
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
(September 21, 2025–January 4, 2026)
 
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA
(February 24–May 24, 2026)
 
Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
(July 25–November 1, 2026)
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 16, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300283504
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300283501
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.74 pounds
Best Sellers Rank: #711,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #384 in Photography Collections & Exhibitions (Books) #1,339 in Photograpy Equipment & Techniques #2,216 in Art History (Books)