Sinéad O’Sullivan: The Black artists to know from Basquiat to Boafo

Until recently, marginalised African art was often sidelined and labelled as “tribal art”. However, a transformative shift pushed by recent movements such as Black Lives Matter, has moved African art into the international art arena and into major cultural hubs like London and New York. From MoMA and the Whitney Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and London’s Tate Modern, Black art is one of today’s biggest trends in the art world.

Some of this year’s hottest pieces involve a rich and complex tapestry of themes such as identity, race, social justice and cultural lineage. Inspired by African-American traditions, the most sought-after pieces include show-stopping colours, symbolism and storytelling with Ghanaian, Nigerian and other dramatic African influences.

The highest record for an American artist selling at a Sotheby’s auction stands at $110 million for an untitled piece by Black artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, sold in 2017. Shortly after that, Kerry James Marshall set a $21 million record for a living African-American artist at another Sotheby’s sale.

The works of these prominent artists are reminders that art is a mirror reflecting society’s complexities and aspirations and that diversity of voices enriches the artistic fabric. It’s safe to say that these artists are provoking and forcing enduring change in the art world, so here are the must-know names this gallery season.

The Pioneer: Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat, a luminary of contemporary art, laid the foundation for the current fascination with African-American creativity. Emerging from the vibrant New York City graffiti scene in the late 1970s, Basquiat's work blended raw, expressive energy with thought-provoking symbolism. His paintings, often featuring enigmatic text and stark figures, tackled themes of race, identity, and societal discord. This laid a path for many Black artists after him to follow. Basquiat's sudden death in 1988 at the age of 27 was as shocking as his entrance to the art world and left an indelible mark. His legacy continues to deepen, with his pieces continually fetching astronomical sums at auction and his influence visible in countless contemporary artists' works.

The Satirist: Robert Colescott

Another landmark artist and a trailblazer of African-American art, Colescott wielded satire and deeply intellectual provocation as his artistic tools. His paintings challenged racial stereotypes and explored themes of sexuality, identity and historical narratives. Colescott’s audacious approach led him to reimagine iconic works, like Grant Wood’s American Gothic, with subversive twists that exposed societal inequalities. His fearless commentary, often laced with humour and irony, pushed boundaries and demanded introspection while encouraging widespread dialogue around the role of contemporary Blackness. In the context of today’s art resurgence, Colescott’s legacy serves as a reminder of the power of art to confront uncomfortable truths.

The Rising Star in Contemporary Portraiture: Amoako Boafo

This 39-year-old painter and visual artist is a rising star in reimagining the canon of contemporary portraiture. Hailing from Ghana, Boafo uses vibrant colours and bold brushwork, resulting in portraits that exude warmth and intimacy. Using his fingertips to paint portraits of Black men and women – often his friends and family – who he says “live their blackness”, Boafo creates art that has resonated strongly with audiences, particularly in the midst of the global reckoning with racial injustice. He not only paints portraits but is redefining the genre, presenting a nuanced vision of Black identity and humanity. Outside of painting, Boafo has collaborated with fashion house Dior and launched an artwork into space with Blue Origin.

Storyteller Extraordinaire: Toyin Ojih Odutola

My hands-down favourite African-American artist-du-jour, 38-year-old Toyin Ojin Odutola is a Nigerian-American artist who is celebrated for her intricate yet dramatic storytelling. Her medium of black ball pen and layered coloured ink creates vibrant, lavishly detailed drawings which investigate the complex and adaptable nature of racial and gender relationships and identity. The stories she creates are as detailed as they are enigmatic, often crafting imaginary worlds in which her characters navigate their convoluted worlds. Ojih Odutola’s conceptual approach to portraiture makes her one of the most exciting contemporary visual artists working today, and her recent exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC “A Countervailing Theory”, based on an imagined world in Central Nigeria’s Plateau State, is one of the most exquisite and deeply moving exhibitions I’ve seen.

Black Beauty: Mickalene Thomas

Mickalene Thomas is a 52-year-old contemporary artist celebrated for her vibrant and glamorous portraits that redefine beauty standards. Her subjects, predominantly Black women, exude confidence and strength in their femininity and their race in equal measures. Thomas draws inspiration from art history, incorporating patterns, textiles and collage elements into her work. With her bold take on the confluence of traditional portraiture and identity-based compositions, Thomas has risen to prominence by mixing photography, painting and collage into a signature style full of bold and colourful patterns to showcase strong feminism. Her art challenges conventional representations and positions Black women as the central figures of their own narratives, as opposed to narratives created by external racial and gender tensions.