Late Professor Emeritus Barkley Hendricks gets solo show at the Frick
The late Professor Emeritus of Studio Art Barkley L. Hendricks considered New Yorkās The Frick Collectionāwith its iconic portraits by Rembrandt, Bronzino, Van Dyck, and othersāto be one of his favorite museums.
This fall, Hendricksās own paintings, which revolutionized contemporary portraiture with their vivid depictions of everyday Black Americans, are hanging alongside the work of the European greats in the first solo show dedicated to an artist of color in the Frickās 87-year history.
āHendricksās astonishing portraits of predominantly Black figures, not represented in the Frickās historic paintings yet who, with their self-assured style, appear right at home among them, grants unprecedented opportunities to celebrate and explore the Frickās collection, Hendricksās groundbreaking innovations, and the bridges between them,ā said Frick curator Aimee Ng, who is organizing the show along with consulting curator Antwaun Sargent.
opened in September in the museumās temporary space, Frick Madison, and features about a dozen of Hendricksās large-scale paintings drawn from private and public collections. Along with the exhibition, Hendricksās art and its impact is further explored through a richly illustrated exhibition catalogue with contributions by artists and creative figures, including Derrick Adams, Hilton Als, Nick Cave, Awol Erizku, Rashid Johnson, Fahamu Pecou, Mickalene Thomas and Kehinde Wiley. The Frick is also offering a robust roster of educational public programs to complement the show, which considers the complex place of European painting in Hendricksās art and how his work, in turn, continues to inspire major artists and designers today.
āPresenting Hendricksās art at a storied institution like the Frick pays due tribute to the historic significance of Barkley L. Hendricks, and it also honors the evolving role of the Frick in modern American culture,ā said Sargent.
Read more about āBarkley L. Hendricks: Portraits at the Frickā in the and . In 2017, Hendricks gave his final interview to CC Magazine.
