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African American Art

Dec 29, 2023 | Collection

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African American Art

A brightly lit gallery with yellow walls and various paintings and sculptures throughout

About The Art

To highlight the Butler’s ever-growing collection of work by African Americans, the Butler has devoted a space showcasing specifically the talents of these artists. The centrally located Tidrick Gallery presents the ideal place to exhibit the work. Its focus offers a broader art-historical and educational look at a collection that the Butler is especially proud of.

Highlights of the gallery include many of the top artists from the early part of the last century through the present, including local talents. Other artwork by African Americans may be found throughout the museum.

LOCATION: Tidrick Gallery, second floor, Beeghly/Schaff Gallery, Dennison Gallery, James Gallery, first floor, Davis Gallery, second floor

Selected Works

Alt text: Large abstract painting by Sam Gilliam titled “Mars at Angles” (1978), featuring angular shapes in red, yellow, blue, purple, pink, white, black, and gray that create the illusion of a three-dimensional cube on a flat surface.

Mars at Angles

Sam Gilliam

Eagle Columns

Richard Hunt

Harlem

Maple Turner III

Painting of an African American woman wearing a Red wide brim hat, Jean Jacket over a striped red/white polo shirt, bright red pants, red/white socks, white shoes. She has her left hand in a fist resting on her hip and her left arm dangling, holding a cigarette with her left hand.

Tequila

Barkley Leonnard Hendricks

John Woodrow Wilson

Martin Luther King, Jr.

A photo of a man and woman standing in front of a young man that is kneeling and looking up at them a variety of items surround this man, offerings perhaps? A dog stands in the water just to their left and looks at the group. Looks like some sort of african ritual is taking place.

Estrada: At the River and Ocean No. 1

Billy Gerard Frank

Etching of Dr Martin Luther King from shoulders up. The face has alot of detail but from the neck down there is very little detail. Black ink on a lighter background.

Head Study

John Woodrow Wilson

Image of two men walking through the woods. One man is wounded and the other is helping him walk with one hand while holding out a white towel with the other.The setting is a haunting twilight scene in a nocturnal landscape, with wounded trees silhouetted against a transitioning sky—suggesting themes of suffering, mortality, and transformation.

Zachariah

Horace Pippin

Pencil sketch of 3 women a(all 3 named in the title of the work) and the 4th person is Reverend Lewis Macklin, Lead Pastor for the Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Youngstown Ohio

Board Members Dr. Dee Banks, Judge Carla J. Baldwin, Judge Benita

Bill Dotson

A wooden box displaying 3 wishbones of different colors (white, black and clear) Roman numeral III etched onto the box lid on top

III (Peter Norton Family Christmas Project 1994)

Lorna Simpson

an optical illusion that looks like a 3 dimensional cube, abstract in nature with a myriad of colors (red, yellow, blue, purple, pink, white, black and gray) even though it is a flat image the angular lines give it a field of depth that makes it look 3D and dynamic.

Untitled, 1971

Sam Gilliam

A charcoal etching of a upside down water jug with a papyrus paper like background

Untitled (from Lamoca Portfolio)

Martin Puryear

New York Cafe

Benny Andrews

*Please note that the artworks in the permanent collection on display may undergo periodic changes and rotations. We suggest that if you’re traveling to the museum to view a specific piece of artwork, call us ahead of time to confirm it is currently on display (330-743-1107 ext. 1108)