Art terms

Black artists

To Tell Them There It's Got To
© Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London. Image credit: the artist

To Tell Them There It's Got To 2013

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (b.1977)

The Box, Plymouth

This page gives you a useful starting point to begin exploring the work of Black artists on Art UK.

The Wanderer
© Yinka Shonibare CBE. All rights reserved, 2026 DACS. Image credit: Bradford Museums and Galleries

The Wanderer 2008

Yinka Shonibare (b.1962)

Bradford Museums and Galleries

Defining what we mean by Black artists

But what do we mean by 'Black artists'?

For centuries, certainly in western art history, the artists who have been studied and celebrated have largely been white Europeans (and, later, Americans).

Black people – people of African descent – have often been overlooked as part of a pattern of systemic racism and colonial power structures, in every field, including the arts.

In recent years, there has been a general consensus that this imbalance should be redressed. It's important to note that while other groups have also been marginalised, this page does not feature all 'global majority' artists.

Five
© the artist. Image credit: Leeds Museums and Galleries

Five 1991

Lubaina Himid (b.1954)

Leeds Museums and Galleries

The variety of work by Black artists

Some people may be critical of separating out Black artists, arguing that skin colour or ancestry is irrelevant to the art produced, and that by doing so ghettoises the artists.

The art produced by Black artists isn't defined by skin colour or ancestry. There is a huge variety in these artworks, with artists drawing on different traditions and with a myriad of influences. Mediums range from oil painting to installations, drawings to sculpture.

Some Black artists incorporate ideas and themes of 'Blackness' into their work deliberately, while others prefer to see themselves in any number of wider artistic traditions.

Mair at Cylch Meithrin
© the artist. Image credit: City & County of Swansea: Glynn Vivian Art Gallery Collection

Mair at Cylch Meithrin 2020

Anya Paintsil (b.1993)

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery

A place to start exploring

However, we are often asked how to find Black artists on Art UK – and analysing our data also suggests this is a popular search. This page is a useful way to showcase the work of Black artists in one place. It's not an exhaustive list, but it does give you a place to start exploring a set of artists whose art has traditionally been overlooked.

You can see all the stories featuring Black artists in one place.

You can also search the site in many other ways, finding these artists' works alongside everything else on Art UK.

Stories

Learning resources

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