LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents Life Model: Charles White and His Students. Painter and draftsman Charles White (19181979) is known for his powerful depictions of African American life and the human condition. White was also a dedicated teacher, and Life Model illuminates his impact on his students, including David Hammons, Judithe Hernández, Ulysses Jenkins, Kerry James Marshall, and Kent Twitchell. Beyond fostering technical skills, White urged his pupils to be thinking artists and to hone distinct points of view. Featured in the exhibition are objects demonstrating these perspectives, including artwork made by Whites students alongside sketchbooks, photographs, and archival footage that illustrate Whites pedagogy. On view February 16September 15, 2019, the exhibition is presented at LACMAs satellite gallery at Charles White Elementary School, the former Otis Art Institute campus, where White was the first African American faculty member. The exhibition is curated by C. Ian White and Sarah Jesse.
For black artists in Los Angeles like Ulysses Jenkins, Kerry James Marshall, and Richard Wyatt, White was a role model carving out a place in the racist art establishment. Others were influenced by his artistic practice: Kent Twitchells portraiture, Eloy Torrezs sketches, and Corky McCoys album covers echo Whites celebratory depictions of blackness, while the sociopolitical commentary in David Hammonss and Judithe Hernándezs work reflects Whites commitment to making socially engaged art. Collectively, the assembled objects shed light on Whites legacy.
This show at Charles White Elementary Schoolnamed in honor of the artist in 2004is a companion exhibition to Charles White: A Retrospective, on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (5905 Wilshire Boulevard) from February 17 to June 9, 2019.
This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.