"This is a freedom to be in their space, without apology, putting in view the inner lives, thoughts, and experiences of everyday Black individuals"
American Sublime
The Baltimore Museum of Art through April 5, 2026
The Baltimore Museum of Art through April 5, 2026
Themes of ascension and liberation emit from each of Amy Sherald’s canvases, ready for the viewer to exchange a brief (or lingering) gaze with her regal pantheon of subjects. Though rare for a young artist to enjoy such a retrospective, the reason may be undeniable as this is an immense showing of works beginning with art created as early as 2007 and her full evolution on display in prolific fashion.
Through her stylization and sometimes hyper realistic elements, Sherald pictures her subjects entirely in grisaille (monochromatic palette of gray, to create an illusion of three-dimensionality and form) but surrounding each with colorful, decorative, auric garments and aspirational environments each displaying their own sense of quiet subversion and very loud freedom.
This is a freedom to be in their space, without apology, putting in view the inner lives, thoughts, and experiences of everyday Black individuals, known as Black interiority, often explored in literature, art, and cultural criticism, and particularly in contrast to the public perceptions and stereotypes imposed upon them, viewing them with their full dignity, nuance, and grace.
Through April 5, 2026
Frank Mitchell is an artist, arts advocate and Art Coterie contributor