Opening February 17 through June 5, the New Museum presents the first full retrospective of artist Faith Ringgold. Showing over fifty years of work, “Faith Ringgold: American People,” is the most comprehensive assessment of Ringgold’s work.” An artist, author, educator, and organizer, Ringgold becomes “a key figure whose work links the multi-disciplinary achievements of the Harlem Renaissance to the political art of young Black artists working today.”
Civil Rights
One of the most in-depth perspectives from an artist working during the civil rights era, her work captures the tension and severity of the divisive period. Ringgold’s work spans across multiple media including works on canvas, quilts, and lithographs. Additionally in the show are documents and photographs that provide further context to the work (Art Workers’ Coalition, letters to the MOMA, and moments of protest).
This show comes at a time where race, history, and ideology are under scrutiny in America. This retrospective captures the environment Ringgold served tirelessly to question and also to provide a sense of optimism through awareness.
Some of most striking works include American People Series #1: Between Friends, 1963, American People Series #20: Die, 1967, and American People Series #13: God Bless America, 1964. These works capture a fever pitch moment in American history which aptly tie back to contextualize the present.
Interestingly, Ringgold embraced non-Western and American craft traditions substituting them for unstretched canvases with sewn fabric borders, inspired by Tibetan thangkas. This is described as Ringgold’s “attempts to transcend a predominantly white art historical tradition to find forms more suitable for the radical exploration of gender and racial identity that her work would go on to enact.”
Quilts
Additionally, Ringgold’s story quilts form a large part of her oeuvre. “Drawing on both personal autobiography and collective histories, the story quilts point to larger social conditions and cultural transformations—from the Harlem Renaissance to the realities of Ringgold’s life as a working mother, artist, and activist.”
Explore a selection of works below, courtesy of the New Museum.
“Faith Ringgold: American People” is curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Edlis Neeson Artistic Director, and Gary Carrion-Murayari, Kraus Family Curator, with Madeline Weisburg, Curatorial Assistant.
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Faith Ringgold, American People Series #1: Between Friends, 1963. Oil on canvas, 40 x 24 in. (101.6 x 61 cm). Collection Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York; Museum purchase with funds from the Roy R. Neuberger Endowment Fund and Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
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Faith Ringgold, Early Works #25: Self-Portrait, 1965. Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 in (127 x 101.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum; Gift of Elizabeth A. Sackler, 2013.96. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
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Faith Ringgold, American People Series #1: Between Friends, 1963. Oil on canvas, 40 x 24 in. (101.6 x 61 cm). Collection Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York; Museum purchase with funds from the Roy R. Neuberger Endowment Fund and Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
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Faith Ringgold, The Wake and Resurrection of the Bicentennial Negro, 1975-89. Mixed media, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and ACA Galleries, New York. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Photo: Ron Amstutz; courtesy Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland.
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Faith Ringgold, Slave Rape #2: Run You Might Get Away, 1972. Oil on canvas with fabric, 92 3/8 × 52 3/8 in (234.6 × 133 cm). Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Photo: Tom Powel Imaging; courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
Faith Ringgold, Slave Rape #1: Fear Will Make You Weak, 1972. Oil on canvas with fabric, 89 1/2 × 51 in (227.3 × 129.5 cm). Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Photo: Ron Amstutz, courtesy Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland
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Faith Ringgold, Jo Baker’s Birthday: The French Collection Part II, #10, 1993. Acrylic on canvas, printed and tie-dyed pieced fabric, ink, 74 1⁄4 × 78 1⁄2 in (188.6 × 199.4 cm). Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri; Museum Minority Artists Purchase Fund, the Honorable Carol E. Jackson, Casually Off-Grain Quilters of Chesterfield, Mr. and Mrs. Steven M. Cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Lester A. Crancer Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Solon Gershman, Mr. Sidney Goldstein in memory of Chip Goldstein, The Links, Inc., Gateway Chapter, the Honorable and Mrs. Charles A. Shaw, Donald M. Suggs, the Thimble & Thread Quilt Guild, and funds given in honor of Cuesta Benberry. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022.
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Faith Ringgold, Black Light Series #7: Ego Painting, 1969. Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in. (76.2 x 76.2 cm). Art Institute of Chicago; Wilson L. Mead Trust Fund; Claire and Gordon Prussian Fund for Contemporary Art; Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Logan Purchase Prize Fund; Ada S. Garrett Prize, Flora Mayer Witkowsky Purchase Prize, Gordon Prussian Memorial, Emilie L. Wild Prize, William H. Bartels Prize, William and Bertha Clusmann Prize, Max V. Kohnstamm Prize, and Pauline Palmer Prize funds. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Photo: Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource
Faith Ringgold, Woman on a Bridge #1 of 5: Tar Beach, 1988. Acrylic paint, canvas, printed fabric, ink, and thread, 74 5/8 x 68 ½ in. (189.5 x 174 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Gift Mr. and Mrs. Gus and Judith Leiber, 88.3620. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
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Faith Ringgold, Mother’s Quilt, 1983. Painted, appliqued, and embroidered fabric with sequins, 58 x 43 ½ in. (147.3 x 110.5 cm). Collection Ed Bradley & Patricia Blanchet. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Photo: readsreads.info; courtesy Serpentine, London
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Faith Ringgold, _Slave Rape #3: Fight to Save Your Life, 1972. Oil on canvas with fabric,92 × 50 7/8 in (233.7 × 129.2 cm). _Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Photo: Tom Powel Imaging; courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
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Faith Ringgold, Black Light Series #1: Big Black, 1967. Oil on canvas, 30 ¼ x 42 ¼ in. (76.8 x 107.3 cm). Pérez Art Museum Miami, Museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
Faith Ringgold, Picasso’s Studio: The French Collection Part I, #7, 1991. Acrylic on canvas, printed and tie-dyed pieced fabric, ink, 73 x 68 in. (185.4 x 172.7 cm). Worcester Art Museum; Charlotte E. W. Buffington Fund. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
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Faith Ringgold, American People Series #20: Die, 1967. Oil on canvas, two panels, 72 x 144 in. (182.9 x 365.8 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Purchase; and gift of The Modern Women’s Fund, Ronnie F. Heyman, Glenn and Eva Dubin, Lonti Ebers, Michael S. Ovitz, Daniel and Brett Sundheim, and Gary and Karen Winnick. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY
Faith Ringgold, American People Series #15: Hide Little Children, 1966. Oil on canvas, 26 x 48 in. (66 x 121.9 cm). Private collection; courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022. Photo: Todd-White Art Photography, London; courtesy Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
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Faith Ringgold, Sonny’s Bridge, 1986. Acrylic on canvas with printed and pieced fabric, 84 ½ x 60 in. (214.6 x 152.4 cm). High Museum of Art; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald D. Balser. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
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Faith Ringgold, Matisse’s Model: The French Collection Part I, #5, 1991. Acrylic on canvas, printed and tie-dyed pieced fabric, ink, 73 ¼ x 79 ¾ in. (186.1 x 202.6 cm). Baltimore Museum of Art; Frederick R. Weisman Contemporary Art Acquisitions Endowment. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
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Faith Ringgold, United States of Attica, 1972. Offset lithograph, 21 5/8 × 27 3/8 in (55 × 69.6 cm). Courtesy the artist and ACA Galleries, New York. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022
Faith Ringgold, Dancing at the Louvre: The French Collection Part I, #1, 1991. Quilted fabric and acrylic paint, 73 ½ x 80 ½ in. (186.7 x 204.5 cm). The Gund Gallery at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, Gift of David Horvitz ’74 and Francie Bishop Good, 2017.5.6. © Faith Ringgold / ARS, NY and DACS, London, courtesy ACA Galleries, New York 2022