Charles White
Curator Esther Adler, artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, conservator Laura Neufeld, and security officer Yannyck Kao Sy reflect on the power of White’s images.
MoMA
Jan 11, 2019
In his work Black Pope (Sandwich Board Man), (1973), Charles White emblazoned one word on the enigmatic figure’s sign: “NOW.” While this ambiguous message is at the center of the work’s power, like so much of White’s art, there’s more here than meets the eye. In this video, exhibition curator Esther Adler and artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, with insight from assistant paper conservator Laura Neufeld and security officer Yannyck Kao Sy, discuss White’s technical prowess, his ability to depict “images of dignity,” and his groundbreaking collaboration with friend and fellow artist Harry Belafonte.
