Exhibitions
Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool
February 7, 2008 - July 13, 2008
Click here to buy the "Birth of Cool" catalogue.
The Nasher Museum presents the first career retrospective of the renowned American artist Barkley L. Hendricks. Born in 1945 in Philadelphia, Hendricks's unique work resides at the nexus of American realism and post-modernism, a space somewhere between portraitists Chuck Close and Alex Katz and pioneering black conceptualists David Hammons and Adrian Piper. He is best known for his stunning, life-sized portraits of people of color from the urban northeast.
Cool, empowering and sometimes confrontational, Hendricks's artistic privileging of a culturally complex black body has paved the way for today's younger generation of artists. This unprecedented exhibition of Hendricks's paintings will include work from 1964 to the present. Trevor Schoonmaker, curator of contemporary art at the Nasher Museum, is organizing the show. The exhibition catalogue, distributed by Duke University Press, will include contributions from Schoonmaker, Richard J. Powell, the John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art History at Duke University, Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, and Franklin Sirmans, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Menil Collection.
 Barkley L. Hendricks, "Fela: Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen," 2002. Oil and variegated leaf on canvas, wooden frame, armature, 66 3/4 x 46 3/4 inches. Image courtesy of the artist. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion. |
The exhibition will travel to the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston.
The exhibition and related programs are sponsored in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and the North Carolina Arts Council with funding from the State of North Carolina.
Programs and Events
All talks and panel discussions take place in the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Lecture Hall. All events are open to the public and free with admission unless otherwise noted.
February 5
6 PM
Meet the Artist/Installation in Progress
Members of the Brummer Society of the Nasher Museum are invited to meet
artist Barkley L. Hendricks and Trevor Schoonmaker, the museum's curator
of contemporary art, in a preview tour of the exhibition "Barkley L.
Hendricks: Birth of the Cool." Reception will follow. For more information
on joining the Brummer Society please call 919-684-3411 or email
nashermembership@duke.edu.
February 7
7-10 PM
Hendricks Exhibition: Opening and DJ Party
American artist Barkley L. Hendricks talks with preeminent Hendricks
scholar Richard J. Powell, Duke's John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art
and Art History, who contributed an essay to the catalogue that
accompanies "Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool" at 7 p.m.
Entertainment by Grammy Award-winning DJ Ninth Wonder starts at 8 p.m.
Reception with cash bar.
Seating is very limited. Lecture hall opens at 6:30 p.m.
February 14
7-9 PM
Art for All
The Nasher Student Advisory Board (NSAB) invites Duke graduate,
undergraduate and professional students, Nasher members and the community
to an evening that includes light food, cash bar (sorry, no credit cards
or Food Points), gallery talks by Duke faculty and staff, tours led by
student docents and live music or dance performances.
February 16
7 PM
Conversation: Greg Tate and Arthur Jafa
Greg Tate, founding member of the Black Rock Coalition and staff writer at
the Village Voice, talks with Arthur Jafa, artist and cinematographer,
about "The Soul Aesthetic: Barkley Hendricks and Black Music."
Co-sponsored by Duke Performances. Free.
February 20
7-10 PM
Conversation: ?uestlove and Ninth Wonder
DJs ?uestlove (the Roots) and Ninth Wonder talk with Mark Anthony Neal,
associate professor of African-American literature at Duke, about "Hip-Hop
Sampling Soul." Followed by a DJ party in the Mary D.B.T. Semans Great
Hall. Co-sponsored by Duke Performances.
February 26
7:30 PM
Annual Semans Lecture: Thelma Golden
Meet Thelma Golden, director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, whose
interview with Barkley L. Hendricks is part of the catalogue accompanying
"Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool." This event is made possible by
Mary D.B.T. Semans and the late James H. Semans. Followed by a reception
with cash bar. Free.
Seating is very limited. Lecture hall opens at 6:30 p.m.
February 28
4 - 6 PM
Teacher Workshop
Spend time in the exhibition "Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool" and
learn about school programs at the Nasher Museum of Art. The artist is
scheduled to give a talk about his work. The workshop is free to K-12
educators, but registration is required. To register, contact
NasherEd@duke.edu by February 18.
March 1
5:30 - 7 PM
FESTAC '77 to Venice '07: Contemporary Art, Africa, and the Global Exhibit
Panel Discussion with Randy Weston (jazz pianist and composer who took
part in FESTAC '77 in Lagos, Nigeria); Barkley L. Hendricks (took part in
FESTAC '77); David A. Bailey (senior curator at Autograph, the Association
of Black Photographers in London); and Odili Donald Odita (visual artist
who exhibited in the 2007 Venice Biennale). FESTAC '77 was the Second
World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture that took place in
Lagos, Nigeria, from January 15 - February 12, 1977. FESTAC '77 brought
together more than 17,000 participants from 55 countries and 50,000 people
from outside Nigeria. Notable participants included visual artists Barkley
L. Hendricks and Faith Ringgold, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, dance
choreographer Chuck Davis, and musicians Stevie Wonder, Gilberto Gil,
Miriam Makeba, Sun Ra and Randy Weston. Co-sponsored by the Duke
University Center for International Studies. Free.
March 2
12-4 PM
Family Day
Explore the exhibition "Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool." Enjoy
live entertainment, drop-in make-and-take crafts and a self-guided gallery
hunt. Admission is free for this special family program.
March 20
7-9 PM
Art for All
The Nasher Student Advisory Board (NSAB) invites Duke graduate,
undergraduate and professional students, Nasher members and the community
to an evening that includes light food, cash bar (sorry, no credit cards
or Food Points), gallery talks by Duke faculty and staff, tours led by
student docents and live music or dance performances.
March 26
7:30 - 9 PM
Collecting Contemporary Art Panel Discussion
Nasher Members are invited to view the exhibition "Barkley L. Hendricks:
Birth of the Cool" and learn about collecting contemporary art in the
third of this three-part series. Director Kimerly Rorschach will moderate
a discussion with several of the area's leading contemporary art
collectors. Exhibition viewing at 6:30 p.m. Panel discussion at 7:30 p.m.,
followed by reception with cash bar. Open to museum members and the Duke
community. To become a member, call 919-684-3411, email
nashermembership@duke.edu or visit www.nasher.duke.edu/membership/join.
April 3
5:30 PM
First Thursday
Meet Kenneth Rodgers, director of the North Carolina Central Art Museum.
The museum is open every Thursday until 9 p.m. On the first Thursday of
each month, meet artists and local luminaries for refreshments and a tour
of the galleries. Cash bar 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., gallery tour at 6 p.m.
April 10
9 PM - 12 AM
Duke Student Party
The Nasher Student Advisory Board invites Duke undergraduate, graduate and
professional students to attend a disco/'70s-themed party inspired by the
work of Barkley L. Hendricks. Sharp attire encouraged. Free. Duke I.D.
required.
May 7
7 PM
Gallery Tour
Members of the Young Friends of the Nasher are invited to tour "Barkley L.
Hendricks: Birth of the Cool" with curator Trevor Schoonmaker and
preeminent Hendricks scholar Richard J. Powell, Duke's John Spencer
Bassett Professor of Art and Art History, who contributed an essay to the
catalogue that accompanies the exhibition. Followed by a reception with
cash bar. To find out more about Young Friends, please call 919-684-3411
or email nashermembership@duke.edu.
May 22
6 PM
Lecture: Richard J. Powell on Barkley L. Hendricks
Richard J. Powell, Duke's John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art and Art
History, leads a discussion on Hendricks.
May, June and July
Birth of the Cool Film Series
Film series to complement "Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool."
Co-sponsored by Duke's Program in Film/Video/Digital. Screenings at 7 p.m.
Thursdays. Visit nasher.duke.edu for details.
Saturdays & Sundays
2 PM
Free Public Tours
Docent-led tours. No reservation necessary. Free with admission. Meet
outside the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Lecture Hall.
For information call 919-684-5135.
