Sargent Claude Johnson

A rich reappraisal of a key Black American modernist through a lens of cross-cultural engagement Sargent Claude Johnson (18881967) was the first Black modernist on the West Coast to gain national acclaim. His artistic practice, forged in California, drew from a range of international influences, including traditional and contemporary arts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, particularly Mexican modernism and Indigenous pottery techniques. Spanning the Black Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Johnsons career was devoted to sensitive, ennobling portrayals of people of color. Though best known as a sculptor, he worked expertly in a broad range of mediafrom painting and printmaking to enamelwork and ceramicseach illuminating his multifaceted identity as an artist. In this catalogue, leading scholars examine Johnsons artistic evolution and offer fresh perspectives on his work. From sculptures of underrepresented subjects to majestic architectural commissionsincluding a celebrated mural reproduced in lavish gatefold formatthe book positions Johnsons oeuvre within an expansive framework of global modernism. Distributed for the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens Exhibition Schedule: Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens (February 17May 20, 2024)