American artist Barkley L. Hendricks (1945 2017) revolutionized contemporary portraiture with his vivid depictions of Black subjects beginning in the late 1960s. This book contextualizes Hendricks s portraits at different stages of the country s history and places him in the pantheon of innovative twentieth-century artists.

"For some, the powerful work of the pioneering Black painter and photographer Barkley L. Hendricks (1945-2017) may come as a revelation, but for so many other it has been a guiding light. As Thelma Golden writes in the foreword, "His paintings are astute, slick, and lush--effortlessly cool." A great admirer of the Old Masters, Hendricks is probably best known for his bold paintings of Black friends, relatives, strangers, and himself. This stunning book accompanies an exhibition of some of his finest portraits at The Frick Collection, one of the artist's favorite museums. The broad-reaching influence Hendricks has had on generations of Black artists and the deep connection between his work and that of European Old Masters are among the rich topics explored by the distinguished contributors."--