Whitten Atopolis: For Édouard Glissant

Jack Whitten

Jack Whitten Estate

Biography

Born

Bessemer AL, 1939

Education

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York NY, 1964

Southern University, Baton Rouge LA, 1960

Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee AL, 1959

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2025

Dia Beacon, 'Jack Whitten', Beacon NY
The Museum of Modern Art, 'Jack Whitten: The Messenger', New York NY

2024

Hauser & Wirth, 'Jack Whitten. Speedchaser', London, UK 

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025

White Columns, 'Looking Back / White Columns Annual', New York NY

2024

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture/Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, 'Code Switch: Distributing Blackness, Reprogramming Internet Art', New York NY/Detroit MI
Modern Art, 'Machine Painting', London, UK
MCA Chicago, 'The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970–2020', Chicago IL
National Portrait Gallery, 'This Morning, This Evening, So Soon. James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance', Washington DC
Marianne Boesky Gallery, 'Material World', New York NY
Luhring Augustine, 'Patterns', New York NY
California African American Museum, 'World Without End: The George Washington Carver Project', Los Angeles CA

Montclair Art Museum, 'Century: 100 Years of Black Art at MAM', Montclair NJ

Awards and Fellowships

2017

Skowhegan Medal for Painting The Aldrich A2A Award

2015

National Medal of Arts (awarded in 2016)

Bibliography

Selected Monographs

2025

Kuo, Michelle (ed.), 'Jack Whitten. The Messenger', New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2025, ill. (exh. cat.)

Elujoba, Yinka, 'In the Studio: Jack Whitten', Zurich/New York: Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 2025, ill.

Siegel, Katy (ed.), Ligon, Glenn, Guidelli-Guidi, Matilde (et al.), ‘Jack Whitten. Notes from the Woodshed’, Zurich/New York: Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 2025

2023

Donna De Salvo (ed.), 'Jack Whitten. The Greek Alphabet Paintings', Beacon NY: Dia Art Foundation

Selected Publications

2024

Russell, Legacy, 'Black Meme. A History of the Images That Make Us', London/New York: Verso, 2024, pp. 90-91
Als, Hilton, Combs, Rhea L., 'This Morning, This Evening, So Soon. James Baldwin and the Voices of Queer Resistance', Washington DC: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, New York: DelMonico Books, 2024, pp. 74-75, ill. (exh. cat.)
Amino, Genji (ed.), 'Leo Amino. The Visible and the Invisible', Santa Fe: Radius Books, Asheville: Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, 2024, pp. 246-249, ill.
Staff, Craig, 'Weak Painting After Modernism. Material Strategies 1968-1978', New York and London: Routledge, 2024, pp. 91-93, ill.

2023

Shiff, Richard, 'Writing After Art. Essays on Modern and Contemporary Artists', New York: David Zwirner Books, 2023, pp. 566-588, 674-676, ill.
Nelson, Steven, Copeland, Huey (eds.), 'Black Modernisms in the Transatlantic World', Washington: National Gallery of Art, 2023, cover, pp. 156, 175-176, ill.
Cooke, Lynne (ed.), 'Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction', Washington: National Gallery of Art, 2023, pp. 91, 224, ill. (exh. cat.)
Feehily, Fergus (ed.), 'You & I Are Earth', Berlin/Dublin: Paper Visual Art, 2023, pp. 46-47, ill.

Hoptman, Laura, Shao, Olivia, O'Neill-Butler, Lauren (et al.), 'Drawing Papers 151: Of Mythic Worlds', New York: The Drawing Center, 2023, p. 140, ill. (exh. cat.)

Goodman David, Deborah, 'Mosaics', Kent: James Barron Art, 2023, unpag., ill. (exh. cat.)

Selected Press

2025

Vartanian, Hrag, '10 Art Books to Bring to the Beach This Summer', on: hyperallergic.com, 30 April 2025, ill.

Cothrel, Joseph, 'Surprised by Jack: A Review of 'Jack Whitten: The Messenger' at MoMA in New York', on: art.newcity.com, 28 April 2025, ill.

Dodson, Jewels, 'Jack Whitten's Pioneering Abstract Paintings Shine at MoMA', on: artsy.net, 10 April 2025, ill.

Hongyi, Ma, 'What is the charm of the art 'alchemist' that makes New York's MoMA willing to make an exception?', on: 99ys.com, 10 April 2025, ill.

___, 'Painting is a Gift. Angel Otero reads from Jack Whitten’s "Notes from the Woodshed"' [video and article], on: hauserwirth.com/ursula, 21 March 2025, ill. 

___, 'Art review: Jack Whitten: The Messenger', on: theweek.com, 2 April 2025, ill.

___, 'Jack Whitten: The Messenger', on: Apollo-magazine.com, 21 March 2025, ill.

Grey, Tobias, 'Jack of All Trades', on: airmail.news, 22 March 2025, ill.

Stewart, Alison (host), 'New Andy Kaufman Doc; Janis Ian; Jack Whitten At MoMA; Happy 250th Birthday Jane Austen' [audio podcast], in: All Of It, WNYC, 27 March 2025.

Budick, Ariella, 'Jack Whitten at MoMA: a restless voyage between colour and darkness', on: ft.com, 24 March 2025, ill.

Cotter, Holland, 'Jazzed About Abstraction: Jack Whitten’s Show Is a Peak MoMA Moment', on: nytimes.com, 27 March 2025, ill.

Luke, Ben (host), 'Jack Whitten at MoMA, New York, Paris Noir at the Pompidou, Arita Singh at the Serpentine' [audio podcast episode, interview with curator Michelle Kuo], in: The Week in Art, The Art Newspaper, 21 March 2025

___, 'comprehensive retrospective of Jack Whitten's work opens at MoMA', on: artdaily.com, 26 March 2025, ill.

Smee, Sebastian, 'Maybe the most important American artist you’ve never heard of', on: washingtonpost.com, 21 March 2025, ill.

Greenberger, Alex, 'MoMA’s Luminous Jack Whitten Show Is the Museum’s Best Retrospective in Half a Decade', on: artnews.com, 20 March 2025, ill.

Völzke, Daniel, 'MoMA-Retrospektive von Jack WhittenWenn Gestus auf Prozess trifft', on: monopol-magazin.de, 20 March 2025, ill.

Bucarelli, Viviana, 'Un mondo in tumulto tra le pennellate di Jack Whitten', on: ilgiornaledellarte.com, 17 March 2025, ill.

Miller, M.H., 'The Artist Was Here', in: The New York Times Style Magazine, New York, 9 March 2025, pp. 56-57, ill.

Belcove, Julia, 'Inside Trailblazing Artist Jack Whitten’s First Retrospective Show at MoMA', on: robbreport.com, 22 February 2025, ill.

Kailath, Ryan, 'Here are some of the top museum shows coming to New York in 2025', on: gothamist.com, 4 January 2025
Airoldi, Silvia, 'The Most Anticipated Art Exhibitions Of 2025 Not To Be Missed In Italy And Around The World', on: elledecor.com, 1 January 2025, ill.

Belcove, Julie, 'Inside Trailblazing Artist Jack Whitten’s First Retrospective Show at MoMA', on: robbreport.com, 22 February 2025, ill.

Miller, M.H., 'Seven Years After Jack Whitten’s Death, His Studio Remains Nearly Untouched', on: nytimes.com, 27 February 2025, ill.

2024

Silverman, Erica, 'The Most Anticipated 2025 Exhibitions at MoMA, The Met, The Serpentine, and More', on: whitewall.art, 31 December 2024, ill.
Chisom, Sedrick, 'Eight Books That Sedrick Chisom Wants You to Read', on: elephant.art, 17 December 2024
Blythe, Finn, 'Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary art', on: wallpaper.com, 9 November 2024, ill.
Waichler, Grace, 'Heading to London for Frieze? Don't Miss These 14 Major Gallery Shows While You're There', on: culturedmag.com, 7 October 2024
Westall, Mark, '6 Art Exhibitions to See in London', on: fadmagazine.com, 29 September 2024, ill.

___, 'Jack Whitten: Speedchaser', on: artplugged.co.uk, 4 September 2024, ill.
Westall, Mark, 'Jack Whitten. Speedchaser', on: fadmagazine.com, 3 September 2024, ill.
Rabb, Maxwell, 'Jack Whitten’s first comprehensive retrospective will be presented at MoMA', on: artsy.net, 25 July 2024, ill.
Westall, Mark, 'MoMA Announces "Jack Whitten: The Messenger" - First Major Retrospective of the Groundbreaking Artist', on: fadmagazine.com, 24 July 2024, ill.
Smith, Anna Deavere, 'How I learned to listen for America', on: washingtonpost.com, 16 May 2024, ill.

Audiovisuals

2014

Zeppers Film & TV, ‘The Next Big Thing’, Frank van den Engel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2014 (DVD)