Art History Publications

Girl with ancient headdress and black dress on pink wall.

Chance Encounters, Edition 37 - by John Angus

Hernández was born in 1948 in South Central Los Angeles and raised in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Lincoln Heights. Her mother emphasized ambition, ability, education, and intelligence over social position, status, or wealth, contributing to her positive attitude as a smart, self-possessed, assertive Chicana artist.

Abstract sculpture with braided hair in an industrial gallery.

Chance Encounters, Edition 41 - by John Angus

Leigh is the first African American woman artist selected to represent the U.S. in Venice, an honor which she recognizes; however, Leigh is quick to point out that she is not the first Black woman artist who could have exhibited in Venice. Leigh likens herself to a relay runner in a long line of Black women artists; she just happened to be holding the baton when the call came.  

A woman painting a celestial scene inside a room.

Chance Encounters, Episode 43 - by John Angus

Helen Lundeberg (American, 1908-1999) was a key figure in two major 20th century American art movements: Post-Surrealism and West Coast Hard-Edge Geometric Abstraction. Although her career as an artist spanned six decades, this tightly focused exhibition centers on her “Planet” series, produced between 1964 and 1969 with supporting works on paper, as well as several conceptually and formally related examples of landscapes created later in her career. 

Boy riding a bike in front of a house at dusk.

Chance Encounters, Edition 45 - by John Angus

Kaphar’s early art practice centered on the subject of black representation in the western art canon. One of his most famous works from this period, Behind the Myth of Benevolence (2014), features a dual portrait of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. The title is derived from a conversation with a well-respected history teacher, who referred to Jefferson as a “benevolent slave owner.”