I was looking for children’s books about famous Black artists to read with my child in honor of Black History month, and I could not find a list anywhere. So, I began putting one together. I am sharing it here for anyone who, like me, might be looking specifically for visual artists to read about with your children.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of famous Black artists, but a short list with accompanying children’s books.
1. Clementine Hunter – “Art From Her Heart: Folk Artist Clementine Hunter”
She was a self-taught Folk artist from Louisiana, and worked as a field hand and a cook at a plantation. However, she became well known for her paintings and gained national notoriety. Segregation laws barred her from viewing many of her own shows during normal business hours. She overcame prejudice and hardship, creating important work that details life on plantations.
2. Romare Bearden – “My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey”
He was born in North Carolina but moved to New York City as a toddler. While he has a wide range of styles of work, he is perhaps best known for his abstract collage work which was influenced by the civil rights movement.
3. Augusta Savage – “In Her Hands: The Story of Sculpture Augusta Savage”
She was born in Florida where she began sculpting with mud and clay at a very early age. In the early 1920’s she moved to New York to study art at Cooper Union. She made a name for herself as a portrait sculpture despite racial discrimination. Among many other accomplishments, she was the first Black artist to join what was then known as the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors.
4. Jacob Lawrence – “Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, A Young Artist in Harlem”
A leader of the Harlem Renaissance, Jacob Lawrence was born in New Jersey in 1917. He got a job with the WPA Federal Art Project. At the age of 23, he completed “The Migration Series”, a crucial and powerful body of work. This children’s book includes a reproduction of an actual Migration series panel.
5. Jean-Michel Basquiat – “Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat”
He was born in Brooklyn in 1960. As a teen, he helped popularize street art. His graffiti style made it into the galleries in group shows and eventually solo shows. He tragically died very young but remains celebrated for his important work which speaks to slavery and oppression.
6. Faith Ringgold – “Tar Beach”
She is an American painter, writer, sculptor, and performance artist, and is perhaps best known for her narrative quilts. Born in Harlem in 1930, she has published several children’s books. To learn more about her visit her official site linked here!
7. Edmondia Lewis – “Edmonia Lewis: A Sculptor of Determination and Courage”
She was born in New York in 1844 and was the first internationally recognized non-white American Sculptor. Her father was a free Black man and her mother was a Chippewa Indian. She worked in marble, creating portrait heads, many of antislavery heroes, biblical scenes, and figural work.
8. James Van Der Zee – “Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!”
He was born in in 1886 in Massachusetts and was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Documenting lives of every day African American life in New York and celebrity portraits, his photos are still widely viewed today .
9. Tyree Guyton – “Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art”
He was born in Detroit where he lives and works as an artist today. In 1986, he created the Heidleberg Project, an outdoor art project in Detroit. You can find out more about this remarkable artist and read his own words about his work via his official website linked here.
10. Alma Woodsey Thomas – “Alma’s Dream”
She was born in 1891, in Columbus, Georgia. When she was 16 her family relocated to Washington D.C. to escape racial violence in Georgia. She taught art there for 35 years before becoming a world renown artist. Among her many accomplishments, she was the first African-American woman to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
I hope you enjoy these children’s books about famous black artists as much as I have! If you have any you recommend, please send them my way.
Wondering how to talk with kids about famous artists and Art History? Head to this post for some of my favorite ways to do this!
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