Museums and the art market are finally giving Charles White his due

ARTNET NEWS
By Eileen Kinsella

Charles White's "Black Pope (Sandwich Board Man)" (1973) The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo Credit: Jonathan Muzikar, The Museum of Modern Art Imaging Services

When Charles White died in 1979 at age 61, he was reasonably famous. His work was in 49 museums, he had won 39 awards, and he had been the subject of 48 books and 53 one-man shows. The artist Benny Andrews said in his obituary that even “people who didn’t know his name knew and recognized his work.” Today, however, White is hardly a household name. His first retrospective in 30 years has just opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His path from humble beginnings to renown to cult figure—and, finally, back to renown again—is at once singular and representative. [More]