Soul of a Nation

Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963–1983 is a surprisingly brilliant and powerful exhibition of American art curated by Mark Godfrey and Zoe Whitley from the Tate Modern in London.

It has been traveling around the United States for the last two years, and until March 15th, it is residing at the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park. Pictured above is Faith Ringgold's 1967 American People Series #18, The Flag Is Bleeding.

Much of the art is political in nature, like the 1968 Boy with Flag from David Hammons...

...and John T. Riddle Jr.'s 1970 Gradual Troop Withdrawal, referencing the noxious, lying phrase that the U.S. government used during the Vietnam War.

Figurative painting is also featured, including Raymond Saunders's 1971 Jack Johnson, featuring the famous black boxer without arms...

...Barkley Hendricks' 1974 What's Going On...

...Emma Amos's paean to the woman who helped to allow her to work as an artist, Eva the Babysitter...

...and Wadsworth Jarrell's psychedelic 1971 Revolutionary (Angela Davis).

There are also a couple of rooms dedicated to abstraction such as Sam Gilliam's 1970 Carousel Change with its colored canvases hung up like sheets on a clothesline.

Looking at the artists' bios online, it's remarkable how many are still alive and creating in their 80s and 90s, including sculptor Fred Eversley, represented by the 1975 Untitled (parabolic lens, unique asymetrically center), 1975

The large exhibit is loosely organized by themes and cities where black power art scenes flourished outside of institutional settings, including Oakland. In an amusing turn of history, you can now buy Black Panther coffee mugs and tote bags in the deYoung Museum gift shop.

As usual, the deYoung is charging too much ($25) for entrance to the special exhibit, but they are offering $10 discounted tickets every Saturday through the March 15th closing, and next Saturday, February 8th, admission is free. Click here to check out the details and order your free tickets online.