Kerry James Marshall

Kerry James Marshall is an American artist known for his work in painting, sculpture, and printmaking. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and grew up in Los Angeles, California.

Marshall's work often explores themes of race, identity, and representation, and seeks to challenge the exclusion of Black people from art history and mainstream culture. He is best known for his large-scale figurative paintings, which feature Black subjects rendered in a highly detailed, realistic style, often set against vibrant backgrounds.

In addition to his painting practice, Marshall is also a respected art educator and curator. He has taught at the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has curated exhibitions for institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Venice Biennale.

Marshall has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" in 1997 and the National Medal of Arts in 2016. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.