The Whitney Museum of American Art recently announced a new exhibit honoring Black beauty in portraits.
Created in collaboration with the think tank READY to BEAUTY, the exhibit, titled “American, Black & Beautiful,” celebrates how Black beauty has impacted the image of America, focusing on their influence on aesthetics, creative expression, and overall cultural impact.
On display until Aug. 10, the exhibit is inspired by “Amy Sherald: American Sublime.” The exhibit features the work of artist Amy Sherald. The painter, who first discovered art at Spelman College, uses her work to tell the stories of Black Americans, increasing representation in art and drawing attention to American Realism.
Among the people who are subjects of Sherald’s work are former First Lady Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor.
To celebrate the exhibit, museum leaders hosted a dynamic panel, bringing together industry leaders like Desiree Verdejo and Danessa Myricks, as well as A’Leila Bundles, the founder of the Madam Walker Family Archives and the great-great-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker.
“For Black Americans, beauty has never been about just aesthetics,” said the founder and CEO of READY to BEAUTY, Corey Huggins, per a press release. “It is an act of assertion, resilience, and history in motion—a powerful tool of definition and cultural transformation.”
The latest exhibit is on display alongside other exhibits celebrating Black culture.
The Whitney Museum is also currently hosting an exhibit featuring the work of Jeanne-Moutoussamy-Ashe titled “Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and the Last Gullah Islands.” Available until May 1, the photographer’s work primarily involved visually documenting the beauty of Black American life. This particular exhibit has on display photographs of Daufuskie Island.
Through the pictures, Moutoussamy-Ashe depicts the island’s history, capturing the lives of the Gullah Geechee.
The newest exhibit, “American, Black & Beauty,” will continue to be on display after the end of “Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and the Last Gullah Islands.” Its future will be decided by attendees of the VIB “behind-the-portrait” guided tour which will include Black founders, artists and other contributors to the beauty space.
The founders are aiming to prolong the exhibit, despite recent attacks from the current administration targeting Black history. In recent weeks, Black-led museums and exhibits have been accused of altering history and promoting “improper ideology” as DEI initiatives are being removed.
“At a time when Black history faces increasing erasure, this ‘legacy’ initiative will stand as a powerful counterforce, ensuring that the rich history of Black beauty is not just acknowledged, but is actually cemented in the cultural and historical record,” said Huggins.
