Amy Sherald: American Sublime

Amy Sherald’s influential figurative paintings of Black subjects illuminate her life, artistic journey, and vital impact on American art.
 
This richly illustrated volume compiles nearly all of Amy Sherald’s work, positioning her within the tradition of American realist and figurative painting. Tracing her career from her early poetic pieces to the distinctive figurative portraits that define her practice, Amy Sherald: American Sublime reveals her unique approach of selecting subjects from everyday encounters and employing facial expressions, gestures, and attire to craft paintings that transcend conventional portraiture and broaden the scope of American art.

Essays by curators Sarah Roberts and Rhea Combs, poet Elizabeth Alexander, artist Dario Calmese, and scholar Deborah Willis provide critical insight into Sherald’s innovative form of imaginative portraiture. Frequently portraying her subjects with gray monochrome skin tones and minimal contextual cues beyond clothing, Sherald challenges the prevailing narratives linking Black identity to struggle, instead presenting images that invite a more nuanced and expansive discourse on race, representation, and individuality. Whether depicting anonymous figures or notable individuals such as former first lady Michelle Obama, Sherald’s subjects convey a serene confidence and mutual presence.