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Amy Sherald

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Amy Sherald
BornAugust 30, 1973
Columbus, Georgia
EducationArturo Lindsay,
Odd Nerdrum
Alma materClark Atlanta University,
Maryland Institute College of Art
Known forOfficial Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama
File:Portrait of Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald.jpg
Portrait of Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald

Amy Sherald (born August 30, 1973) is an American painter based in Baltimore, Maryland.[1] Her work started out autobiographical in nature, but has taken on a social context ever since she moved to Baltimore.[2]

She is best known for her portrait paintings that address social justice, as well as her choice of subjects, which are drawn from outside of the art historical narrative. The National Museum of Women in the Arts says that, through her work, she takes a closer look at the way people construct and perform their identities in response to political, social, and cultural expectations.[3] Sherald is represented by Monique Meloche Gallery.[4]

Early life and education

Amy Sherald was born in Columbus, Georgia, in 1973.[3] As a child, she was never surrounded by art because it was never an interest for her family. Her mother only supported art as a summer program and never as a career, until she won the National Gallery Portrait Competition. She studied at the Clark Atlanta University, where she earned her Bachelor of the Arts degree in painting in 1997. After that, she became an apprentice to Dr. Arturo Lindsay, who was an art history professor at Spelman College.[3] In 1997, she was also a part of the Spelman College International Artist-in-Residence program in Portobelo, Panama. She attended the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2004, where she earned her M.F.A. in painting.[1] After gaining her M.F.A, she lived and studied with painter Odd Nerdrum in Larvik, Norway.[5] In 2008 she attained an artist residency assistantship at the Tong Xion Art Center in Beijing, China.[6]

Career

Sherald's work focuses on issues of race and identity in the American South. Today, she only paints African-Americans.[7] Her experience of being one of very few black students to attend a private school often influences her work.[8] Sherald began with bald self-portraits and then moved into more fantastical work that explored the idea of circus, and fantasy. Over the years, her figurative painting has evolved into what the New York Times described as "a stylized realism."[9]

At the beginning of her career, Sherald started out by installing and curating shows in the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo and the 1999 South American Biennale in Lima, Peru. In addition, she has taught art in the Baltimore City Detention Center.[9] Recently, her work was acquired by the National Museum of Women in the Arts.[10] She also has helped to organize and install international exhibitions in Central and South America.

In February 2018, the unveiling of the official portrait by Amy Sherald of Michelle Obama was held; she and Kehinde Wiley are the first black artists to make official presidential portraits for the National Portrait Gallery.[11][12]

Influences

African-American culture

Sherald's work offers a critical view of African-American history and the representation of the African-American body. She is known for painting skin tones in greyscale, as a way of going against the concept of color-as-race.[3]

Baltimore

After moving to Baltimore Sherald's shifted her work from autobiographical, due to the amount of poverty seen within the city.[2] Baltimore inspired her to create art that would encourage people to see themselves outside of their everyday environment and lifestyle.

Private Life

Sherald was diagnosed at the age of 31 with congestive heart failure. She was the recipient of a heart transplant in December 18, 2012 at the age of 39.[13]

Awards

  • 2016: Bethesda Painting Award
  • 2016: Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition
  • 2015: Semi-Finalist for Sondheim Artscape Prize
  • 2014: Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptures Grand
  • 2013: Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant

Solo exhibitions

  • 2017: New paintings, moniquemeloche LES, NY
  • 2016: A Wonderful Dream, moniquemeloche, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2015: Off The Chain: American Art Unfettered, 2nd Street Gallery, Charlottesville, VA
  • 2013: Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore, MD
  • 2011: Amy Sherald: American Black, Richard Demato Fine Arts, Sag Harbor, NY
  • 2011: The Magical Realism of Amy Sherald, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sonja Haynes Stone Center, Chapel Hill, NC

Group exhibitions

  • 2016: Southern Accent: Seeking the American South in Contemporary Art, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC; travels to Speed Museum Art Museum, Louisville KY
  • 2016: Africa Forecast: Fashioning Contemporary Life, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, GA
  • 2016: Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today, Smithsonian Museum's National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; travels to Tacoma Art Museum, Washington, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri
  • 2015: Look At Me Now! Curated by Allison Glenn, moniquemeloche, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2013: Themes of Black Identity in America, San Juan Delta College, Stockton, CA
  • 2013: US Embassy Dakar, Senegal
  • 2013: National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
  • 2012: Revealing the Presence of Africans in the European Renaissance, Galerie Myrtis, Baltimore, MD
  • 2011: Mosaic Project, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, Lancaster, PA
  • 2010: Gallery 101 Exhibit, Art Basel, Miami, FL
  • 2010: Richard Demato Fine Art, Sag Harbor, NY
  • 2008: Quasi-Painting, Randall Scott Gallery, Washington D.C.
  • 2008: Urban Renaissance, Ramscale Penthouse, New York, NY
  • 2005: Femme Effect, Sub-basement Gallery, Baltimore, MD
  • 2004: Maryland Institute College of Art Thesis Exhibition, Baltimore, MD
  • 2003: Earth Works, installation, The Labyrinth, Portobello, Panama
  • 2003: Artscape, Baltimore City Hall, Baltimore, MD
  • 2002: Lipstick, City Hall of Atlanta Gallery, Atlanta, GA
  • 1999: Museum of Panama, collaboration with Dr. Arturo Lindsay, Panama City, Panama
  • 1997: Museum of Panama, Education Gallery, Panama City, Panama

Public collections

  • Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery[9]
  • Nasher Museum of Art[9]
  • The United States Embassy Dakar, Senegal
  • The National Museum of African American History and Culture
  • The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
  • FTI Technologies Inc., Baltimore, MD

References

  1. ^ a b McCauley, Mary Carole (December 19, 2016). "Equipped with new heart, Baltimore's Amy Sherald gains fame with surreal portraiture". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Art Talk with Painter Amy Sherald | NEA". www.arts.gov. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "Amy Sherald". nmwa.org. National Museum of Women in the Arts. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  4. ^ Amy Sherald at Monique Meloche Gallery.
  5. ^ "Amy Sherald Wins National Gallery Portrait Competition". BmoreArt | Baltimore Contemporary Art. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  6. ^ Hill, The University of North Carolina at Chapel. "The Magical Real-ism of Amy Sherald - Gallery Exhibition - UNC Stone Center". stonecenter.web.unc.edu. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  7. ^ Robin Pogrebin (October 23, 2017), After a Late Start, an Artist’s Big Break: Michelle Obama’s Official Portrait New York Times.
  8. ^ Frank, Priscilla (2016-07-07). "'Fairytale' Paintings Show A Side Of Black Lives History Overlooks". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d Robin Pogrebin (October 23, 2017), After a Late Start, an Artist’s Big Break: Michelle Obama’s Official Portrait New York Times.
  10. ^ Valentine, Victoria L. (March 26, 2016). "Portrait of an Artist: Baltimore-based Amy Sherald Wins Smithsonian's Outwin Boochever Competition | Culture Type". Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  11. ^ "Michelle Obama portrait by Baltimore artist Amy Sherald makes national splash". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  12. ^ "Watch: Unveiling of President and Mrs. Obama's Portraits at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery". Updates. Obama Foundation. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  13. ^ Sanders, Marlisla. "Amy Sherald, A Second Life". IRAAA Museum. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
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