Archibald J. Motley Jr., Hot Rhythm, 1961. Oil on canvas, 40 x 48.375 inches (101.6 x 122.9 cm). Collection of Mara Motley, MD, and Valerie Gerrard Browne. Image courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Chicago, Illinois. © Valerie Gerrard Browne.
produced by VANESSA WILSON
Archibald Motley (1891-1981) has been described by art historians and critics as one of the most significant 20th-century artists of his time, yet his work has gone largely unnoticed by the public sphere.
His vivid compositions shine the spotlight of modernity onto black life and culture — modernity in the art historical sense concerning itself with the depiction of the ephemerality of urban life. Motley’s portraits infused black and racially ambiguous sitters with an air of calm, self-assured confidence that was new to this subject matter at the time.
Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist is a traveling exhibition primarily curated by Richard Powell — art history professor at Duke University — in conjunction with LACMA curators. As Motley is relatively unknown outside of the Chicago area, the installation hopes to call attention to his talent.
LACMA’s exhibition will run through Feb. 1st, 2015.