“I devoted my life to teaching, collecting, curating. I wanted to help redefine, revise the meaning of American art.” —David C. Driskell IN 1976, the landmark exhibition, “Two Centuries of Black American Art,” opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. When it made its way around the country—with stops at the High Museum of Art, in Atlanta; the Museum of Fine Arts, in Dallas; and the Brooklyn Museum, in New York City—it drew thousands of visitors and sparked debate. For many showgoers, it was the first time they had encountered the breadth and depth of Black artistic achievement, which had long been overlooked or excluded from mainstream institutions.
Some established art critics, such as Hilton Kramer of The New York Times, were dismissive of the exhibition, while journalists…
