The Times, review by Nancy Durrant
2025
Kerry James Marshall sits at the pinnacle of American contemporary painting, and since 2018 has held the record as the most expensive living African-American artist. And yet here, he remains far from a household name.
I hope many people will see this Royal Academy show, The Histories, for the sheer nourishing pleasure of his visually and intellectually rich work, which largely builds upon, continues and subverts the genre of history painting, which the institution once considered the most noble of them all.
Since most history painting is now just that — historic — it’s easy to forget how contemporary it was in its day; how relevant to its social and political moment; how stuffed with reference and allegory that would have spoken clearly to those viewing it fresh off the easel. This is one of the many satisfying aspects of Marshall’s practice — you could spend hours soaking up the detail in his monumental, multi-layered canvases.