Amy Sherald

Amy Sherald is a renowned American artist known for her large-scale, hyper-realistic portraits of African Americans, often set against vibrant, colorful backgrounds, reminiscent of the works of Kehinde Wiley and Mickalene Thomas. Her paintings frequently feature subjects from everyday life, such as Michelle Obama, Breonna Taylor, and Angela Davis, as well as anonymous individuals she encounters in her daily life, like those found in the photographs of Gordon Parks and Dorothea Lange. Sherald's work has been exhibited in numerous institutions, including the National Portrait Gallery, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, alongside artists like Jordan Casteel and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Her unique style and approach to portraiture have drawn comparisons to artists such as Chuck Close and Elizabeth Peyton.

● Early Life and Education

Amy Sherald was born in 1973 in Columbus, Georgia, and grew up in a family that encouraged her artistic pursuits, much like the families of Faith Ringgold and Betye Saar. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark Atlanta University in 1997, where she was influenced by the works of Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. Sherald then went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2004, where she was exposed to the works of Amy Sillman and Charline von Heyl. During her time at Maryland Institute College of Art, Sherald was mentored by artists such as Grace Hartigan and Salman Toor, and was influenced by the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Museum.

● Career

Sherald's career as an artist began to take shape in the early 2000s, with her first solo exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2005, alongside artists like Mark Bradford and Kerry James Marshall. Her work quickly gained recognition, and she was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts grant in 2008, which allowed her to further develop her unique style, inspired by the likes of Alice Neel and Lois Mailou Jones. In 2016, Sherald was commissioned to paint the official portrait of Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery, a project that brought her widespread acclaim and solidified her position as a leading figure in contemporary American art, alongside artists like Kara Walker and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Her work has also been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Artforum, and has been exhibited at institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.

● Artistic Style

Sherald's artistic style is characterized by her use of large-scale, hyper-realistic portraits of African Americans, often set against vibrant, colorful backgrounds, reminiscent of the works of Helen Frankenthaler and Morris Louis. Her paintings frequently feature subjects from everyday life, such as Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, as well as anonymous individuals she encounters in her daily life, like those found in the photographs of Dawoud Bey and Lorna Simpson. Sherald's unique approach to portraiture has drawn comparisons to artists such as Gerhard Richter and Cindy Sherman, and has been influenced by the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. Her use of color and composition has also been compared to the works of Mark Rothko and Ellsworth Kelly, and has been exhibited at institutions like the Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.

● Notable Works

Some of Sherald's most notable works include her portrait of Michelle Obama, which was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in 2018, alongside works by artists like Barack Obama and Malala Yousafzai. Other notable works include her portraits of Breonna Taylor and Angela Davis, which were exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2020, alongside works by artists like Kerry James Marshall and Jordan Casteel. Sherald's work has also been featured in the Rubell Family Collection and the Walker Art Center, and has been exhibited at institutions like the High Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

● Awards and Recognition

Sherald has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the National Endowment for the Arts grant in 2008, and the Baltimore Museum of Art's Mary Sawyer Baker Award in 2016, which is also awarded to artists like Theaster Gates and Rick Lowe. In 2019, Sherald was awarded the High Museum of Art's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Social Justice, and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World, alongside artists like Ava DuVernay and Ryan Coogler. Her work has also been recognized by institutions such as the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and has been exhibited at institutions like the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Denver Art Museum.

● Exhibitions

Sherald's work has been exhibited in numerous institutions and galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, alongside artists like Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Mickalene Thomas. Her work has also been featured in group exhibitions such as the Whitney Biennial and the Armory Show, and has been exhibited at institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. In 2020, Sherald's work was featured in a solo exhibition at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, and has been exhibited at institutions like the Tate Modern and the Centre Pompidou.