What’s Black about ‘History of Art’? This event spotlights Alayo Akinkugbe as she discusses her debut book and offers an original, wide-ranging riposte to dominant understandings of Blackness in Western art and museums.
Since the inception of mainstream art history, Blackness has been distinctly ignored. In Reframing Blackness, art historian Alayo Akinkugbe confronts this void. Through an exploration of the presentation of Black figures in Western art, as well as Blackness in museums, feminist art movements and academic curricula, she reveals an overlooked yet integral part of collective art history.
Both refreshing and accessible, her work opens up a vital conversation about culture, education and the structures that shape art historical narratives. The event features a talk by Akinkugbe followed by an audience Q&A, with copies of Reframing Blackness available to purchase.
Described by Bernardine Evaristo as “a brilliant new writer and thinker challenging art history,” Akinkugbe is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute of Art. She runs the Instagram platform @ABlackHistoryofArt, hosts the podcast A Shared Gaze, and writes the column ‘Black Gazes’ for AnOther Magazine. Her work has been supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and she has contributed to major publications including Dazed, Tate Etc. and The World of Interiors. Reframing Blackness is her first book.
