Customer Reviews

Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art

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This collection of essays may have come from a particular exhibit or conference. It is a book that discusses black men's status as objects of art. Don't sleep! The art world is racist. Coco Fusco and bell hooks have effectively documented this. So this anthology is a very needed intervention. Articles cover topics such as gay black men in movies, the visual representation of gangsta rap, Mapplethorpe, etc. The contributors analyze numerous art mediums, not just painting or film. What I love about this book is how straight black men and gay black men are treated equally; a discussion of one does not marginalize the other. I especially love the article "The Gangsta and the Diva." This book is incredible!

This book was published to accompany the exhibition Black Male Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary American Art 1994. It comprises a collection of thirteen essays by different writers, a Bibliography, lists of Works in the Exhibition and Film and Video Programs, and Notes on the Contributors. There is also a section of Plates.

The book covers all aspects of the visual arts, painting, film and photography and three dimensional art; the essays discuss a wide range of subjects with perhaps the emphasis on film and screen, but there are also essays specifically on social and political issues, music, gang culture, pornography and gay issues. The contributors, a mix of men and women, while predominantly university professors also include a writer and a critic and film maker. They are intelligently written and very illuminating.

The essays are illustrated throughout in black and white, mostly quite small images, but one or two are about half page size. They include many stills from films, photographs of personalities and other individuals, art photographs; too many to count they appear on almost every page. The section of plates contains 39 full page images in full colour, with the exception of a few originally black and white pictures; they include original art works and photographs and stills from films. The artists include Basquite, Leon Golub, Lyly Ashton Harris, Barkley L Hendricks, Jeff Koons and Robert Mapplethorpe.

This is a well presented book with a very smart matt-black card cover with minimal white lettering (probably screen-printed) on the front and spine and the words BLACK MALE blind embossed on the front. The book is attractively laid out. My only complaint is that I would like to have seen more and larger images.