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More on the Book

“There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now.” – James Baldwin

The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure, edited by Ekow Eshun, highlights the creativity of Black artists whose works celebrate the depth and complexity of Black experiences. Released alongside the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, this book examines international contributions to contemporary Black portraiture.

Featuring captivating artworks, the publication presents painting, drawing, and sculpture as expressions of individuality and collective identity. Through its three-part structure, readers encounter detailed artist profiles and outstanding reproductions, analysing Black portraiture’s role in addressing the historical underrepresentation and misrepresentation of Black lives in Western art.

Highlighted artists include Hurvin Anderson, Michael Armitage, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Noah Davis, Denzil Forrester, Lorna Simpson, Lubaina Himid, Claudette Johnson, Titus Kaphar, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Chris Ofili, Jennifer Packer, Amy Sherald, Henry Taylor, and Barbara Walker.

Specifications :

• Format : Hardback
• Size : 298 x 248 mm (11.73 x 9.76 in)
• Pages : 192 Illustrated in colour pp
• ISBN : 9781855145580

The Contributors

Ekow Eshun, a British writer and curator, recognised for reshaping creative culture in the UK for three decades.

Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other and an influential figure in British literature.

Esi Edugyan, Canadian author of Washington Black, celebrated for her reflections on race and identity.

Professor Dorothy Price, a leading scholar in modern and contemporary art, critical race art history, and curator of acclaimed exhibitions.

“The Time Is Always Now marks a momentous shift in western culture. In all of these works – made in the 21st century, by 22 great British and American artists – each Black figure is free to be their own unique and singular person.” – Laura Cummings, Guardian

“A double triumph: art that urges us to look at society differently and Black painters telling fresh stories so inventively that they are reviving the western figurative tradition.” – Jackie Wullschläger, Financial Times: How To Spend It

‘…Elegiac, critical and celebratory, The Time Is Always Now brings together 22 leading black artists working in the UK and US.’ – The best art and architecture shows to visit in 2024, The Guardian