Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas

Figuring History focuses on contemporary artists Robert Colescott (1925–2009), Kerry James Marshall (born 1955), and Mickalene Thomas (born 1971), who are all distinguished by their attention to a history of representation which they re-visit and revise to reflect on individual and collective Black experience.  Equally engaged with social and political histories, as well as the history of art, Colescott, Marshall, and Thomas have created works that both poignantly and satirically critique the dominant narratives and put forth alternatives. This thought-provoking book considers these artists together, expanding our understanding of contemporary history painting, a genre first defined during the 17th century. 

Hardcover: 96 pages

Publisher: Yale University Press (March 2016)

ISBN: 9780300233896

Dimensions: 12.2 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches