My first time at the DIA, I stumbled across Kehinde Wiley’s Officer of the Hussars, and I was instantly hooked.
There’s a baroque richness to Wiley’s (huge!) paintings that puts him on par with the old masters, but his subjects are very modern. His Officer is a black man, circa right now, dressed in Timberland boots, baggy jeans and a wife-beater, brandishing a cavalry saber and looking back from the saddle of a rearing horse. It was completely unexpected, and so awesome that I couldn’t stop grinning.
Every time we go back, I revisit Officer of the Hussars, and it always makes me smile. When I heard that Wiley’s art was coming to TMA, I knew we had to go, and I’m really glad we did.
A New Republic is 60 paintings, sculptures, and other pieces spanning Wiley’s entire career. I never knew he was so prolific and worked in so many media! Besides paintings, there were bronzes, triptychs painted on wood, and even stained glass, all in the same old-meets-new style, and all featuring young black and brown people as subjects.
I am not an art expert, and I’m totally unqualified to tell you much more about Kehinde Wiley. Just know this: he’s a top-notch artist who portrays his subjects in a positive and dignified way. He blends the art world with modern urban culture, in a way that’s bound to connect with people who might not otherwise come into a museum. If you’re near Toledo, I hope you come and see the exhibit. A New Republic runs through May 14, 2017.
Morpheus (2008)
From The World Stage series. There’s a really surprising vulnerability to this one.
Mrs. Waldorf Astor (2012)
From An Economy of Grace. The model is Shantavia Beale. I love the way Wiley uses intricate floral backgrounds that wrap around and overlay the three-dimensional subjects.
Bound (2014)
This is just a huge, intricate piece. The look on her face says so much about her life and her experiences.
Likunt Daniel Ailin (2013)
There’s a comb sticking out of his hair in the back and in profile, he looks like a modern pharaoh.
