Amy Sherald: The World We Make

by Ta-Nehisi Coates (interviewer), Amy Sherald (Artist), Kevin Quashie (Contributor)

The long-awaited first major monograph on the iconic portraitist of Black Americans This is the first comprehensive monograph on acclaimed painter Amy Sherald, whose distinctive style of simplified realist portraiture features African American subjects rendered against colorful monochrome backdrops or in everyday settings. Sherald rose to fame after being chosen by former first lady Michelle Obama to paint her official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, in 2018, becoming the first African American woman to receive this honor. In addition to reproductions of Sherald’s recent works, the book―published to accompany her solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth London in fall 2022―includes illustrations of earlier paintings, as well as an intimate glimpse into Sherald’s process and practice through a series of in-studio photographs. Newly commissioned texts include an art historical analysis of the artist’s work by Jenni Sorkin; a meditation on the politics and aesthetics of Sherald's portraiture by cultural scholar Kevin Quashie; and a conversation between Sherald and acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Amy Sherald was born in Georgia in 1973 and received her MFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2004. She has been included in countless group shows at galleries and museums worldwide as well as the subject of solo exhibitions at Hauser & Wirth and Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, among others. Sherald lives in Baltimore and New Jersey.

Genres: Art

193 pages, Hardcover

Published January 17, 2023

About the author

Ta-Nehisi Coates is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Between the World and Me, a finalist for the National Book Award. A MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow, Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story "The Case for Reparations." He lives in New York with his wife and son.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Close-ups dominate the page before we see the paintings in whole. Following the selected portraiture, there are two beautiful examinations of some of Sherald's work by Jenni Sorkin and Kevin Quashie, coupled with studio shots and an interview between the artist and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Really enjoyed a chance to do a bit of a dive into Sherald's work.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous layout. Like being in front of the art and staring at a section up close. Informative narrative, especially about the use of grey-tone for skin color and its prior use by Giotto in stained glass.

[Meli Gass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for my "Black Art" Book Bingo square.

Loved the art and the interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates. Some of the essays were way over my head though.