Marshall, Kerry James
1955-present · Contribution: 1980-present
Visual Arts
Large-scale figurative painting (acrylic on unstretched canvas), drawing, and sculpture centering Black figures in everyday and historical scenes, deliberately rendered in deep, unapologetic black

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Category
- Visual Arts
Impact on the world
Marshall confronts the near-total absence of Black figures in the Western canon by painting them, unapologetically, into its grand tradition, reshaping the story of who belongs in art history.
Sources
- Britannica
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