David Driskell

David C. Driskell (June 7, 1931 – April 1, 2020)[1] was an artist and a scholar in the field of African-American art. Driskell was emeritus professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.[2]

David C. Driskell
Born(1931-06-07)June 7, 1931
Eatonton, Georgia, U.S.
DiedApril 1, 2020(2020-04-01) (aged 88)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHoward University, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Catholic University
Notable work
Two Centuries of Black American Art
AwardsNational Humanities Medal, 2000
Woman with Flowers by David Driskell, 1972
The University of Maryland, College Park Art Gallery celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 24, 2016, with a memorable art exhibition. Among those attending were President Wallace Loh and his wife, Barbara, on the left; and Prof. David C. Driskell, along with Prof. Dagmar R. Henney, on the right. Photo courtesy University of Maryland Art Gallery, used with permission.

Biography

David Clyde Driskell was born in Eatonton, Georgia, the son of George Washington Driskell, a minister, and Mary Cloud Driskell, a homemaker.[3] When he was five years old, he moved with his family to western North Carolina.[3]

Driskell attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating with a bachelor's degree in art in 1955;[3] he also completed the summer program at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1953.[4] After teaching for several years at Talladega College in Alabama, he went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Catholic University, in 1962.[3]

He was an associate professor of art at Howard University from 1963 to 1964.[4] In 1964 he held a fellowship at the Netherlands Institute for Art History in The Hague.[5] He joined the faculty of Fisk University, Nashville, in 1966, as professor of art and chairman of the department. After ten years at Fisk, he moved to the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1976.[4] He chaired the department there from 1978 to 1983 and, in 1995, was named Distinguished University Professor of Art.[6]

In 1976, Driskell mounted Two Centuries of Black American Art for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which was the highest-profile exhibition of its kind at a major U.S. museum, and according to ARTnews, "staked a claim for the profound and indelible contributions of black and African American art makers since the earliest days of the country."[7] He additionally curated many shows of work by black artists, including Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Elizabeth Catlett.[7]

Driskell held nine honorary doctoral degrees.[8] In 2000, he was honored by President Bill Clinton as one of 12 recipients of the National Humanities Medal.[8] David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar by Julie L. McGee, a book detailing Driskell's life and work, was published in 2006.[9]

Driskell's art is represented by the DC Moore Gallery. His first exhibition at the gallery was held in October 2006.[10]

The David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park was named in tribute to him and honors his legacy.[2]

Driskell died in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C..[11]

Publications by Driskell
  • Amistad II: Afro-American Art (editor), Nashville: Fisk University, 1975.
  • Two Centuries of Black American Art, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976. ISBN 0-87587-070-8
  • The Afro-American Collection, Fisk University, with Earl J. Hooks, Nashville: Fisk University, 1976.
  • Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America, introduction by Mary Schmidt Campbell; essays by David Driskell, David Levering Lewis, and Deborah Willis Ryan, New York: The Studio Museum in Harlem, 1987. ISBN 0-8109-1099-3
  • Introspectives: Contemporary Art by Americans and Brazilians of African Descent, curators, Henry J. Drewal and David C. Driskell, Los Angeles: California Afro-American Museum, 1989.
  • African American Visual Aesthetics: a Postmodernist View (editor) Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995. ISBN 1-56098-605-0
  • The Other Side of Color: African American Art in the Collection of Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2001. ISBN 0-7649-1455-3

Publications about Driskell
  • David Driskell: A Survey: Art Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, October 21-December 5, 1980, compiled and edited by Edith A. Tonelli, College Park, Maryland: University of Maryland Art Gallery, 1980.
  • Julie L. McGee, David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar, by San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2006. ISBN 0-7649-3747-2
  • Hidden Heritage: Afro-American Art, 1800-1950, San Francisco: The Art Museum Association of America, 1985. ISBN 0-930295-03-X
  • Contemporary Visual Expressions: the Art of Sam Gilliam, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Keith Morrison, William T. Williams, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987. ISBN 0-87474-385-0
  • Adrienne L. Childs, Evolution: Five Decades of Printmaking by David C. Driskell, San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7649-4204-4

See also

Additional bibliography

References
  1. "ArtMakers : David Driskell". The History Makers. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  2. "The David C. Driskell Center". Driskellcenter.umd.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  3. Genzlinger, Neil (April 7, 2020). "David Driskell, 88, Pivotal Champion of African-American Art, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2020. Print version, April 9, 2020, p. B12.
  4. "David Clyde Driskell." Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2001. Retrieved via Gale In Context: Biography database, April 10, 2020.
  5. "David (C.) Driskell." St. James Guide to Black Artists. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 1997. Retrieved via Gale In Context: Biography database, April 10, 2020.
  6. "David C. Driskell, African American Art Pioneer, Dies at 88". College of Arts & Humanities, University of Maryland, College Park. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  7. Newkirk, Pamela (April 6, 2020). "How David C. Driskell Shaped the Story of Black Art in America: From the Archives". ARTnews. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  8. Gerard, Chrissa. "David C. Driskell, National Humanities Medal, 2000". National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  9. McGee, Julie L. ( 2006). David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar. San Francisco: Pomegranate Communications. ISBN 0764937472.
  10. "DC Moore Gallery, artist page". Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  11. Barnes, Bart (April 3, 2020). "David Driskell, advocate for African American art, dies at 88 of coronavirus". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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