Black American Portraits at LACMA

LACMA is on a mission to celebrate Black love, joy, and abundance with an exhibition that will feature nearly 150 works of art. On view from November 7th, 2021 through April 17th, 2022, Black American Portraits, pays tribute to the pioneering exhibition the museum did in 1976, which became the first comprehensive survey of African American art. Drawing from over two centuries of objects and artworks, mainly from the museum's permanent collection and including some new acquisitions exhibited for the first time, the exhibition presents an opportunity to examine significant and often overlooked contributions to portraiture, a medium crucial for building and shaping images of the self and communities, reframing the history of American portraiture to center Black subjects, spaces, and makers.

Black American Portraits will be on view at LACMA alongside The Obama Portraits Tour, featuring Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald's iconic portraits of President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Below, take a peek at some highlights from Black American Portraits before both exhibitions open November 7.