The Bridgeman Art Library International proudly presents a selection of art from twelve of our minority artists. We hope this small sampling will give you a taste of all that Bridgeman and our contemporary artists have to offer.

Xavier Cortada Guantanameros, 1996		Francks Deceus Ming, 1998

Music serves as the inspiration for artists, Xavier Cortada and Francks Deceus.

Xavier Cortada was born in New York, but was raised and still lives in Miami. He is best known for his collaborative public art which has included International AIDS Conference murals in Switzerland and South Africa, and peace murals in Northern Ireland and Cyprus.

Francks Deceus was born in Haiti and is now based in Brooklyn, New York. His modernist style of mixed media painting incorporates influences and aesthetic forms from American paintings of the 40's and 50's. His style of work relies on the simplification of forms and use of bold color to contrast, distort and simplify perspectives of figurative narratives.

Laura James Black Girl with Wings		Carmen Parra Archangel St. Michael of Villalpando, 2002

Angels we have heard on high! The art of Laura James and Carmen Parra is certainly worthy of admiration and devotion.

Laura James is a self-taught painter of Antiguan heritage. James paints religious subjects and visual dramatizations of Biblical stories using iconography found in Ethiopian Christian art.

For the past ten years, Mexican artist Carmen Parra has been involved in the study and artistic record of her country's churches and cathedrals. Her paintings and drawings transform religious architecture and iconography into vibrant, almost mystical images.

Colin Bootman Afternoon Break, 2000		Carlton Murrell Wash Day, 1991

Laundry, that tedious, ever-present chore, takes on new life in the joyful, vivid imaginings of Colin Bootman and Carlton Murrell.

Colin Bootman was born in Trinidad where he spent the first seven years of his life. During this time, he was inspired by the island's rich and diverse culture. Soon after moving to the United States, Bootman embraced art as a measure of escape from the pressures of adjusting to a new environment at an early age.

Carlton Murrell began exploring his artistic talents by drawing and painting the various lifestyles of his native Barbados. He combines the lively techniques of the Impressionists with his rich Caribbean heritage to produce vibrant, thought provoking visual messages.

Talle Bamazi Refugees, 1998		Bayo Iribhogbe African Aids Epidemic, 1991

African-born artists Talle Bamazi and Bayo Iribhogbe reflect on their homeland in these evocative and compelling works.

Talle Bamazi was born in Togo, West Africa. After spending several years in New York, Bamazi moved to Ohio where he serves as the founder and director of Columbus's KIACA Gallery, which seeks to raise the profile of contemporary African art. His own work reflects a variety of styles and influences from traditional portraiture to cubism and surrealism.

Nigerian Bayo Iribhogbe's paintings portray the diversity within African culture and identity; from images of colorful dance and ritual to the stark realities of drought and starvation.

Komi Chen Tea Picking Girl, 1994		Ikahl Beckford Sister Act, 2002

Communities of women appear in the art of both Taiwanese artist Komi Chen and Jamaican artist Ikahl Beckford.

Komi Chen was born in Taipei, Taiwan into an artistic family. Having spent time in both the East and West, Chen developed a vibrant and unique visual style  that blends Western realism with modern Chinese sensibility.

Born in Jamaica, Ikahl Beckford currently resides in New York, but as seen in his work, his early years as a visual artist were nurtured in his homeland.

Cristina Rodriguez To the Girl who was Born in 1997, 1997		Mary Stuart The Family Portrait, 1981

Though very different in their stylistic approaches, artists Cristina Rodriguez and Mary Stuart both depict the domestic world and family life in striking, unusual ways.

Cristina Rodriguez was born in Colombia, and her South American heritage remains a powerful influence on her work. It is reflected in her confident use of bright oil colors. It is also evident in her skill at condensing complex reality into her own symbolic language, and perhaps even in her robust adherence to figurative, narrative painting.

Mexican artist Mary Stuart's paintings have a whimsical, dreamlike feeling that draws upon the work of Mexican Surrealists such as Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington. Deceptively simplistic, her charmingly decorative works often have a deeper symbolic meaning that begs to be explored.


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