Amy Sherald is a contemporary African-American painter known for her portraits which address issues of injustice in black culture. By painting skin tones in gray scale, Sherald breaks against identifying individuals based on their skin tone.
is a contemporary African-American painter known for her portraits which address issues of injustice in black culture. By painting skin tones in gray scale, Sherald breaks against identifying individuals based on their skin tone. “I want people to be able to imagine life outside of the circumscribed stereotype, or identity that can be controlled by many circumstances such as your environment, your parents, your friends, your skin color, your class,” she has explained.
” Born on August 30, 1973 in Columbus, GA, she received her BA from Clark Atlanta University in 1997 and went on to receive her MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2004. Her experience living in Baltimore inspired Sherald’s transition from her earlier autobiographical paintings towards works which address the poverty of African Americans.