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Early gay and lesbian
African-American and African Diaspora artists did not openly
declare their homosexuality, but in the late twentieth century, many
artists began to explore issues of gender and
sexuality in their work. |
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The Negro Looks Ahead
by James Richmond Barthé. |
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James Richmond Barthé
(1901-1989) was a popular sculptor associated with the Harlem
Renaissance. He combined traditional styles and methods with an
interest in expressionism and a fascination with primitivism. |
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Nayland Blake
(b. 1960) creates--in a variety of media--work that reflects his
preoccupation with his racial and sexual identities. |
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Beauford Delaney
(1901-1979), a renowned modernist painter, suffered terribly from the
pressures of being black and gay in a racist and homphobic society. |
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Rotimi Fani-Kayode
(1955-1989) was one of the most important black photographers of the
late twentieth century. The Nigerian-born artist often drew on
Yoruba iconography in his self-portraits and in portraits of other men. |
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Isaac Julien
(b. 1960) is a filmmaker, artist, and cultural critic. He is the
most prominent member of a group of black artists and filmmakers
involved in examining black and gay representation. |
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Mary Edmonia Lewis
(1844-1907) was a sculptor born of an African-American father and an
Ojibwa (Chippewa)
mother. She lived most of her life in Rome where she was a member
of a lesbian circle of American artists and expatriates. |
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Glenn Ligon
(b. 1960) is one of the most successful artists at work today. His deeply resonant mixed-media works explore important questions of
race and gender. |
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Marlon Riggs
(1957-1994), a writer, director, and producer, was an accomplished and
outspoken activist whose efforts to promote black gay male visibility
live on through his films and essays. |
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Photo Credit: Image of James Richmond Barthé's
The Negro Looks Ahead courtesy McCormick Library of Special Collections,
Northwestern University. |
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