Four Generations - by Courtney Martin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The Joyner Giuffrida Collection of Abstract Art is widely recognized as one of the most significant collections of modern and contemporary work by African and African Diasporan artists, and Four Generations draws upon the collection's unparalleled holdings to explore the critical contributions made by black artists to the evolution of visual art in the 20th and 21st centuries. Extensively illustrated with hundreds of works in a variety of media, and featuring scholarly texts by leading artists, writers and curators, Four Generations gives an essential overview of some of the most notable artists and movements of the last century, up to and including works being made today. Four major new scholarly essays provide touchstones for the unifying themes of the collection, and provide historical background on the struggles, innovations, communities and questions that have driven the development of African American and African arts-including a new text by Joost Bosland on the reception of contemporary African art after 1989; Susan and Elihu Rose Chief Curator of the Jewish Museum's Norman L. Kleeblatt on the pioneering achievements of Norman Lewis; Tate Modern Senior Curator Mark Godfrey on black artists in the 1960s and 1970s; as well as a crucial look at contemporary art and practice by the book's editor Courtney J. Martin, Assistant Professor of the History of Art and Architecture at Brown University. Short essays on single artists and significant works punctuate each historical chapter, including texts and interviews by noteworthy writers such as Thelma Golden, Philippe Vergne, Thomas J. Lax, Lawrence Rinder, Christopher Bedford and others, on artists like Kara Walker, Mark Bradford, Lorna Simpson, Norman Lewis, Glenn Ligon, Theaster Gates, Clifford Owens, Jennie C. Jones, Julie Mehretu, and more. The catalogue is further illustrated with major works by artists from throughout the last century, such as Beauford Delaney, Jacob Lawrence, Alma Thomas, David Hammons, Sam Gilliam, Lauren Halsey, Oscar Murillo, Jayson Musson, Robin Rhode, Zander Blom, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and many others. Filled with countless insights and treasures, this revised and expanded edition of Four Generations: The Joyner Giuffrida Collection of Abstract Art is a journey through one of the most exceptional collections of art in America, and through the momentous legacy of African and African Diasporan art from the last hundred years"--

Book Synopsis

The acclaimed overview of Black abstract art, now in an expanded edition with nearly 100 additional color plates

The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection of Abstract Art is widely recognized as one of the most significant collections of modern and contemporary work by artists of the African diaspora and from the continent of Africa itself. Four Generations: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection of Abstract Art draws upon the collection's unparalleled holdings to explore the critical contributions made by Black artists to the evolution of visual art in the 20th and 21st centuries.

This revised and expanded edition updates Four Generations with several new texts and nearly 100 images of works that have been added to the collection since the initial publication of this influential and widely praised book. Lavishly illustrated and featuring important contributions by leading art historians, critics, and curators, Four Generations gives an essential overview of some of the most notable Black artists and movements of the past century, and their approaches to abstraction in its various forms. Filled with countless insights and visual treasures, Four Generations is a journey through the momentous legacy of postwar art of the African diaspora.

Artists include: Firelei Báez, Romare Bearden, Kevin Beasley, Zander Blom, Mark Bradford, Leonardo Drew, Sam Gilliam, David Hammons, Isaac Julien, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Glenn Ligon, Julie Mehretu, Oscar Murillo, Christina Quarles, Robin Rhode, Lorna Simpson, Shinique Smith, Alma Thomas, Kara Walker, Jack Whitten, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and many others.

Rarely is a monograph on a private collection as revelatory as this--what an extraordinary, rich body of work is packed into these pages. The achievements of the artists, as well as their conceptual and formal daring, leave no doubt that a new page on American art is about to be opened." -Okwui Enwezor

Review Quotes

Curator and writer Kimberly Drew name-checked this book about the Joyner Giuffrida family, which offers an insight into their collection, which is widely regarded as one of the most significant collections of modern and contemporary work by African and African diaspora artists. "This book is a welcome reminder that being a collector and curator is an act of diligence and love," says Drew. "Pairing scholarly essays and full-color images of works, we're invited into their collection and, more than that, invited to think about how we might regard our own collections."--Tembe Denton-Hurst "New York Magazine"