Black artists have been making major contributions to the global art scene since at least the middle of the twentieth century. While some of these artists - of African and Caribbean descent - have been embraced at times by the art world, they have mostly been neglected or have not received the recognition they deserve.
Taking its starting point as the Windrush-era Caribbean Artists Movement, and considering and contextualising the political, cultural, and artistic climate from which it emerged, this concise introduction showcases the work of seventy Black-British artists from the 1930s until the present. Artworks in a range of media offer a lens through which to understand some of the events and issues confronted and explored, shedding light on the unique Black-British experience. Constructed around contemporary ideas on race, national identity, citizenship, gender, class, sexuality and aesthetics in Britain, this book interrogates themes at the heart of Black-British Art, revealing art in dialogue with a complex past and present. Featuring some of the most prominent and influential Black-British artists of recent decades, as well as less well-known artists, it also includes work from a new generation of artists at the forefront of contemporary art. At a time when visibility within the art world has taken on a renewed urgency, this is a timely and accessible introduction celebrating Black-British artists and their outstanding contribution to art history.
