Stories can be told without words, whether it is a painting, a photograph, textiles, or a sculpture. Artists who have taken visual concepts to share a narrative with the world have transformed the definition of art for centuries. The use of colors, textures, and objects has proven time and time again that you can evoke emotion with the right intention and setup. From art galleries to silent auctions, art pieces have not only told stories but also gained a valuable component. People from all over have grown attached to art, hoping to connect, start a dialogue, and tell their own story through the artwork.
Artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bisa Butler, and Gordon Parks have created their legacies around their storytelling mediums, allowing the passion for art to make them timeless. Even if you may not know some artists by name, the work they have dedicated their lives to speaks for themselves. So, it is only fitting to shine a light on those who have changed how people think about art with a brush stroke on a canvas.
Check out this list of 15 Black artists who impacted art history then and now.
1. Jean-Michel Basquiat
As a young twentysomething, the late Jean-Michel Basquiat was a groundbreaking artist during the 1980s whose art is still discussed by fans and celebrities today. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Basquiat created street art during the neo-expressionism era that focused on themes like racism, colonialism, classism, and more. Basquiat worked with visual artists and film director Andy Warhol on multiple collaborations, breaking barriers for other artists following him. So much so that in May 2017, Japanese businessman Yusaku Maezawa purchased his painting “Untitled” for $110.5 million. Since Basquiat was 21 years old when he developed the artwork, this purchase made him the youngest artist to cross the $100 million mark. Other celebrities honor the late New York native, such as JAY-Z and the late Virgil Abloh, and even iconic fashion brands like Coach, which partnered with the Basquiat estate and showcased his work in an exclusive collection.
2. James Van Der Zee
This photographer became a huge figure for documenting Black New Yorkers during the Harlem Renaissance era. Van Der Zee even captured portraits of celebrities like Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, the infamous dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and poet Countee Cullen. With his photos, Van Der Zee captured notable moments during that time and became so popular that he was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum. His iconic work has been so important to Black history and has preserved the lives of many who may have been forgotten over time. Van Der Zee was one of the most influential artists that paved the way for aspiring photographers.
3. Kara Walker
Deemed a highly complex artist, Kara Walker is well-known nationally and internationally for starting conversations around racial and gender stereotypes through her legendary artwork of cut-paper silhouettes. These silhouettes highlight narratives of sexuality, violence, and subjugation. One of her famous pieces titled “Gone” is an artwork that represents the unfortunate realities of enslaved Black people and how, for generations, they have experienced pain and loss in this country. Walker also has sculpted artwork such as “A Subtlety,” aka “Marvelous Sugar Baby,” and a water-based piece located in Tate Modern, London. When art lovers see the work of Walter, there is guaranteed dialogue around the historical suffering of Black people living in America, how it is a continued foundation of the modern day, and a reminder that the Black community continues to thrive despite it all.
4. Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage was a sculptor and became well-known during the Harlem Renaissance. Some of her most notable pieces are portrait busts of W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, “Gamin” (found at the Smithsonian American Art Museum), and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which displays a Harp-like structure of Black people to represent African American music. After much recognition for her statement pieces, Savage opened the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in Harlem, NY. This studio was created to be a home of creativity for art students, who later catalyzed the careers of nationally known artists like Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, and Gwendolyn Knight. While she continued teaching young artists and settled into a quieter life later in her career, her art is seen as true realism, expressive, and timeless.
5. Chéri Samba
This Congolese painter wanted to make a statement about the culture and experiences in his homeland. Chéri Samba, who left school at the age of 16, decided to pursue a career as a painter in the capital of his country, Kinshasa. Later on, Samba became popular for his works portraying the societal and political climate of the city and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He even added text to his drawings to capture passersby more to stop and take in the art piece. Adding text was known as the “Samba signature.” After international recognition, Samba shared in reports that as an artist, he was not interested in painting things that were a common belief among the public. He stated, “I want to change our mentality, that keeps us isolated from the world. I appeal to people’s consciences. Artists must make people think.”
6. Joshua Johnson
After receiving his freedom from slavery in 1782, Joshua Johnson is the earliest African American documented to have made a career as an artist. According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, it is believed that Johnson could have been born in Baltimore, MD, which is how Johnson became well-known as a portrait painter who depicted prominent Maryland residents in his pieces. Because of the fairness of his skin and his potentially being biracial, Johnson was able to “pass” as white for publishers during that time. Johnson became a homeowner and was financially successful because of his artwork. He considered himself a “self-taught genius” and has around 80 pieces of work credited to him.
7. Amy Sherald
If you remember the presidential portrait of Former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2017, that painting was by artist Amy Sherald. Sherald grew up in Columbus, GA, and is known for her contemporary portraits of Black people in everyday life. Before the Obama portrait, Sherald was the first woman and first Black person to win the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition hosted by the National Portrait Gallery. It was awarded for her piece, “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance),” and the prize included $25,000. Since Obama, Sherald has created more paintings, including a portrait of slain young woman Breonna Taylor. Because of her profound portraits, Sherald has been an artist who solidifies Black Americans as landmarks in society and sets a political message in her pieces.
8. Ernie Barnes
From the NFL to the canvas, Ernie Barnes was a notable athlete turned painter who significantly impacted the art world. After retiring from the NFL in 1965, Barnes hoped to become an artist for the league. After New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin was impressed with Barnes’ artwork, it was decided to keep Barnes on as a salaried player, but instead of on the football field, he would pursue his passion in painting. Barnes is internationally recognized for painting characters with elongated arms or legs in movement. One of his most famous paintings is “The Sugar Shack.” This 1976 painting has been featured on the popular TV sitcom “Good Times” and on the cover of Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You. The artwork depicts the rhythm and romanticism of Black dance. A feeling that is widely experienced within the Black community. The original version of the painting was purchased by comedian Eddie Murphy for $50,000. The art piece's duplicate, sold to businessman Bill Perkins in 2022, sold for $15.3 million.
9. Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks was a photographer, composer, and one of the first Black filmmakers to direct movies in Hollywood. As a documentary photographer, he changed fans' perspectives regarding America and its stance on race relations and civil rights. Parks’ most recognizable photo is titled “American Gothic,” which was shot in 1942. The image shows a woman named Ella Watson and the goal was to highlight inequalities and mistreatment of Black people within the country, then and now. For film, Parks became the first African American to write and direct a major Hollywood studio film — the 1969 motion picture, The Learning Tree. From there, he directed the 1971 film Shaft starring actor Richard Roundtree and the sequel, Shaft’s Big Score.
10. Henry Ossawa Tanner
Henry Ossawa Tanner was a talented artist who studied in Paris, France, and became the first African American internationally recognized for his artwork. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, Tanner traveled the world to focus on his craft depicting biblical themes and his personal experiences in the world. During a short visit back to the United States in 1893, Tanner painted “The Banjo Lesson.” This painting shows an older man and a young boy concentrating on a musical instrument. It is said that the paintings give admirers a sense of peace and highlight the beauty of human interaction. This famous work is among the favorites within the Black community and has been passed down from household to household.
11. Bisa Butler
Bisa Butler is a fiber artist who has changed the game in quilting and has created her own lane. What has made Butler stand out is how she transforms her quilt artwork to look like paintings. Her quilted artwork is meant to celebrate Black life and display everyday people as well as historical figures. Growing up, Butler watched her mother and grandmother sew and soon was taught to quilt. During her grandmother’s last days, she quilted a quilt for her and recreated her grandmother's wedding photo. Butler has been quilting ever since with Kente cloth and African printed fabrics, recreating moments of Black experiences. Butler has won many awards with her life-size quilted portraits and won the hearts of art lovers worldwide.
12. Alma Thomas
After a 35-year career of teaching art in Washington, D.C., Alma Thomas retired from education and went on to become one of the top U.S. painters of the 20th century. Her abstract paintings and use of lively colors proved to aspiring artists that it is never too late to start pursuing your creative dreams. In 1972, when she was maybe 81 or 82 years old, it is stated Thomas was the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. Thomas used her vibrant colors to shine the beauty in daily life. She encouraged viewers to embrace color theory in a much more engaging way.
13. Horace Pippin
Horace Pippin was a WWI veteran and became inspired to turn his experience in the war into art. Horace Pippin, who has been deemed the first Black artist to be the subject of a monograph, or specialized topic book, changed the world with his paintings. Pippen’s usual themes were around racial segregation, addressing slavery, and the dark details of war. One of his famous artworks is a 1942 portrait titled “John Brown Going to His Hanging.” This painting was based on the real-life trial of abolitionist John Brown in 1859. In the art piece, Pippin includes a figure of a Black woman, inspired by his mother, who was present at the actual event.
14. Kerry James Marshall
Born in Birmingham, AL, Kerry James Marshall’s painting captivated the world. He spent some of his childhood in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA, and he used his experiences to depict the area in most of his artwork. Marshall is well-known for using Black figures in his pieces and large-scale sculptures to gain the title of one of the leading contemporary artists of his time. His first artwork with a Black figure was created in 1980 and titled “Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self.” From there, Marshall created countless pieces with this signature look, including one of his most famous paintings, "The Lost Boys.”
15. Faith Ringgold
Before there was Bisa Butler, there was Faith Ringgold. Ringgold was a painter, author, mixed media sculptor, and well-known for her narrative quilts. The New York native received her art degree and dived right into her art career. Later on, Ringgold switched from painting to quilts to express the feminist movement and break away from a traditional art point of view. Her first story quilt was written in 1983 and titled “Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemima.” She continued her quilt storytelling with her series “French Collection” to highlight prominent Black women who changed the world.