'Lady in Waiting' by David Driskell

David Driskell (1931-2020), 'Lady in Waiting', 1992, oil and encaustic on canvas, 44 ½ x 34 ½ inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of The John M. and Pauline N. Fife Collection of African American Art, 2014. © The Estate of David C. Driskell. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York.

David Driskell (1931-2020) was one of the most influential experts in the fields of African American art research, curation, and promotion. Not only was he a leading figure in art history, but he was also a groundbreaking artist himself. His art style was influenced by modernism and contained varying themes of the American South, Black Christianity, urban life, politics, and traditional African culture.

Lady in Waiting depicts an abstracted form of a woman with a child that is reminiscent of the traditional Madonna image. The bright colors and bold brush strokes bring vibrancy to the mother figure who tenderly cares for the child in her presence. Shapes, lines, and colors are similar to the array of colorful and vibrant traditional African patterns.

In honor of Juneteenth, we would like to recognize an artist who continuously fought for space for the Black community within museums.

Written by Curatorial fellow Delaney Jennings