In a wood-panelled library of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, the artist Kerry James Marshall reflects on his first encounter with art. He recalls visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on a school trip and being impressed by a pair of colossal paintings by Veronese, as well as a small African sculpture that exuded its own unique charm. This experience left a lasting impact on Marshall, who has been striving to capture that same power in his own art ever since.
Marshall, who is turning 68 this month, is widely regarded as one of the greatest living painters. While he is best known for his epic figurative works, he also dabbles in drawing, photography, sculpture, and video. His talent has been recognized by prestigious institutions such as the LA museum, MoMA in New York, and the Royal Academy in London, where he was elected an honorary Royal Academician last year. His paintings can fetch prices upwards of $20 million.
Marshall recently made headlines when he designed stained-glass windows for the Washington National Cathedral to replace ones honoring Confederate generals. He charged a symbolic fee of $18.65 for the commission, referencing the year the US civil war ended and all enslaved people were freed.
During his time in the UK, Marshall unveiled his first formal portrait painting of a living subject – a piece entitled “Henry Louis Gates Jr” – which he donated to Cambridge University. The acrylic painting depicts Gates, a friend and scholar, who is the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. The portrait captures Gates in a contemplative pose, surrounded by books, awards, and an African sculpture. The painting has been praised as an unexpected masterpiece and is currently on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
While portraiture is a departure from Marshall’s usual imaginative works, it allows him to engage in a lifelong dialogue with Western art. He views portraiture as a way to illuminate the subject, rather than the artist, and feels a responsibility to faithfully represent the sitter. At the same time, he sees the painting as an object and carefully composes the subject within a larger arrangement of shapes.
Marshall draws inspiration from historical portraitists such as Rogier van der Weyden and early Flemish painters, who he believes created some of the most beautiful portraits in history. His goal with the portrait of Gates was not just to capture his likeness, but to build a picture around him. The composition includes books, including Marshall’s own, that hold personal significance to both the artist and the sitter.
Marshall was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and moved to Los Angeles with his family just before the Watts riots of 1965. This period of civil unrest had a profound impact on Marshall, who witnessed the chaos and realized that it made no sense. He was never one to follow the crowd and felt a sense of agency in shaping his own destiny.
The lack of black history in the curriculum at Marshall’s school led him to seek knowledge on his own. He found solace in the public library, where he could read art books featuring the works of renowned artists like Goya, Fragonard, and Rembrandt. This experience taught him the importance of taking initiative and becoming an agent of change, rather than passively accepting the status quo. Marshall went on to graduate from the Otis Art Institute in LA in 1978.
One of Marshall’s most significant artistic innovations is his approach to depicting blackness. While many artists aim to make a statement about the presence of blackness in their work, Marshall seeks to capture the true complexity of skin tones. He uses a range of pigments, including Mars black, ivory black, and carbon black, to create a chromatically complex representation of black figures. To the casual observer, the differences may not be noticeable, but to those willing to look closely, they become apparent.
Marshall’s ultimate ambition has been to create work that competes in the art world and challenges traditional narratives. He believes that the absence of black figures in museums is not the real issue; it is the lack of quality representation. By creating large-scale paintings of black figures, Marshall seeks to amplify their presence and showcase their power. He understands that art alone cannot bring about social change, but it can provoke thought and inspire action.
Marshall’s journey as an artist has been driven by his own curiosity, self-reliance, and sense of justice. He has carved out his own path, fueled by a deep passion for study and an unwavering dedication to his craft. Through his art, he challenges established norms and contributes to a more diverse and inclusive art world.
Visit fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk to learn more about the latest exhibitions and events at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
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