Wadsworth Jarrell

Wadsworth Jarrell was one of the founders of AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), a collective of Black artists from Chicago’s South Side that helped shape the iconography of the Black Arts Movement. His work was included in Tate Modern’s acclaimed traveling exhibition “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” and the 2019 Venice Biennale. After serving as the company artist for his army unit during World War II, Jarrell enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his BFA in 1958. His work is characterized by its use of vibrant “cool-ade” colors, Black power slogans, and affirmational representations of Black people. His iconic portrait of civil rights activist Angela Y. Davis, Revolutionary (1972), is based on a photo taken during a speech she gave in 1970. In Jarrell’s depiction, Davis speaks into a microphone as words like “love,” “Black,” and “revolution” appear to radiate from her mouth. In the painting, Davis appears to be wearing the bandolier of Revolutionary Suit (1969), a piece of wearable art designed by Jarrell’s wife, Jae Jarrell.