Kehinde Wiley
1977 (Los Angeles)
Living in : New York
Working in : New York
Artist's webSite
Artist's gallery
Kehinde Wiley's career path does not deviate from the "success story" pattern that America is particularly fond of. Neither does the desire for ennoblement. Born in South Central, Los Angeles, he was 14 years old in 1992, when the riots broke out following the acquittal of the four white police officers accused of beating Rodney King to death. But "to escape the streets," his mother inspired a vocation by taking him to painting classes and visiting the great museums of Southern California. He was left with a lasting impression of the power of the paintings of his elder brother Kerry James Marshall, seen at LACMA, but also of the absence of African-American artists from most of the galleries.
Extract from the article of Marie Haas published in N°94 Art Absolument review.
Living in : New York
Working in : New York
Artist's webSite
Artist's gallery
Kehinde Wiley's career path does not deviate from the "success story" pattern that America is particularly fond of. Neither does the desire for ennoblement. Born in South Central, Los Angeles, he was 14 years old in 1992, when the riots broke out following the acquittal of the four white police officers accused of beating Rodney King to death. But "to escape the streets," his mother inspired a vocation by taking him to painting classes and visiting the great museums of Southern California. He was left with a lasting impression of the power of the paintings of his elder brother Kerry James Marshall, seen at LACMA, but also of the absence of African-American artists from most of the galleries.
Extract from the article of Marie Haas published in N°94 Art Absolument review.
