Jack Whitten (December 5, 1939 – January 20, 2018) [1] was an American painter and sculptor. In 2016, he was awarded a National Medal of Arts. [2] [3]

Jack Whitten was an African-American artist best known for his rigorous experimentation with the materiality of painting. View Jack Whitten’s 102 artworks on artnet. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices.

Born in Bessemer, Alabama in 1939, Jack Whitten is celebrated for his innovative processes of applying paint to the surface of his canvases and transfiguring their material terrains.

The Museum of Modern Art announces Jack Whitten: The Messenger, the first comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the groundbreaking art of Jack Whitten (American, 1939–2018), on view from March 23 through August 2, 2025, in the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Center for Special Exhibitions.

Jack Whitten revolutionized what art can look like. Through his exploration of paint and pigment, and his ingenious application of tools and technologies—from Afro combs to electrostatic printing—Whitten created novel artistic processes.

Interviewed in his Queens, New York studio in October 2017, Jack Whitten reflects on his childhood, the inequality he faced as a Black artist, and the necessity of fighting simplistic dichotomies.

Jul 13, 2018 · Jack Whitten on free love, abstract expressionism, race riots, political assassinations, drugs, and dreams of Grecian trees.

Feb 7, 2018 · Esteemed painter Jack Whitten, a 1964 Cooper graduate and painting professor from 1974-1995, died on January 20. Perhaps best known for his deep explorations of materials, Whitten committed himself to art-making at a young age, and never looked back, despite considerable obstacles that included racism and poverty.

Feb 2, 2024 · Known for his painting-as-gesture slab canvases and Black Monolith series, Whitten’s work has evolved over five decades in order to speak to his conflicted relationship with the South.

Jul 25, 2024 · The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will present the first comprehensive Jack Whitten retrospective. The exhibition, titled “Jack Whitten: The Messenger,” will run from March 23 to August 2, 2025, and span the late American artist’s nearly six-decade career.