A rich reconsideration of a short-lived but visionary voice in twentieth-century American painting and his enduring relevance
Bob Thompson (1937 dash;1966) came to critical acclaim in the late 1950s for paintings of unparalleled figurative complexity and chromatic intensity. Thompson drew upon the Western art-historical canon to formulate a highly personal, expressive language. Tracing the African American artistasquo;s prolific, yet tragically brief, transatlantic career, this volume examines Thompson'squo;s outlier status and pays close attention to his sustained engagements with themes of community, visibility, and justice. As the contributors contextualize the artistmsquo;s ambitions and his unique creative process, they reposition Thompson as a predecessor to contemporary artists such as Kerry James Marshall and Kehinde Wiley. Featuring an array of artwork, and never-before-published poems and archival materials, this study situates Thompsonesquo;s extraordinary output within ongoing dialogues about the politics of representation.
