Over six decades, American artist John Wilson (1922–2015) created powerful and poignant works that reflected his life as a Black American artist and his ongoing quest for racial, social, and economic justice. Even as a teenager, Wilson was struck by the absence of positive representations of Black Americans and their experiences in museums and popular culture. Using a figurative style, he sought to correct this omission, creating art in a variety of media and techniques that centered the humanity and experiences of Black Americans. Wilson’s subject matter was diverse and included depictions of racial prejudice, economic inequality, fascism, the physical rigors of labor, the writings of Richard Wright, and intimate images of family, friends, and community, with a particular emphasis on fatherhood. In both finely rendered portraits and more abstract images of anonymous individuals, Wilson portrayed the emotions, dignity, and inner lives of his subjects. Despite the range and significance of his art and the continuing relevance of the themes he explored, Wilson’s work has not received the recognition it deserves.
Featuring approximately 100 works in a variety of media, as well as previously unavailable archival material, this exhibition showcases the humanity, scope, and power of Wilson’s art throughout his career. The exhibition begins with works he created while studying art in Boston, depicting the horrors of Nazi Germany and American racial violence, as well as tender images of his family life. It continues with his time in Paris, Mexico City, and New York City, highlighting his goal of creating a more democratic art, and ends with his sculptures and famous depictions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., such as the model for the sculpture in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures, as well as examples of Wilson’s work as an illustrator for children’s books..
Witnesses of humanity will be the largest exhibition of Wilson’s works and the artist’s first solo exhibition in a New York museum.
The exhibition is organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
