Untitled, 1964
Jack Whitten was an American abstract painter and sculptor known for his innovative techniques and experimental approach to materials. Born in 1939 in Bessemer, Alabama, he first pursued pre-medical studies and served as an ROTC cadet at the Tuskegee Institute. Whitten eventually transferred to Southern University in Baton Rouge to pursue art. There, he became active in the Civil Rights Movement. He relocated to New York in 1960 to study at Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, where he earned his BFA in painting in 1964.
Pioneering techniques such as his “slab” paintings, he used custom tools to manipulate layers of acrylic paint. Whitten believed that art should reflect the period in which it’s made, creating paintings as abstracted tributes to Black artists, musicians, and public figures. Over his six-decade career, he was widely celebrated, receiving the National Medal of Arts in 2016. Whitten lived in New York City, where he passed away in January 2018.
Pioneering techniques such as his “slab” paintings, he used custom tools to manipulate layers of acrylic paint. Whitten believed that art should reflect the period in which it’s made, creating paintings as abstracted tributes to Black artists, musicians, and public figures. Over his six-decade career, he was widely celebrated, receiving the National Medal of Arts in 2016. Whitten lived in New York City, where he passed away in January 2018.