Black Painters Past and Present
Socially Conscious Black Music
Mega Famous Black Artists
Black Filmmakers
100
This artist only lived 27 years and in that short period of time became famous for his Neo-Expressionist style of art as well as his fashionable looks.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
100
This singer released her first album in 2001 and had an iconic duet about the Big Apple with a famous rapper in 2009.
Alicia Keys
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100
This artist became the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2017, for his film Get Out, and has become well known for creating psychological horror films about the Black experience.
Jordan Peele
200
This artist is known for portrait paintings of contemporary images of African-Americans and is especially famous for this particular portrait.
Kehinde Wiley
200
This designer helmed the French fashion house’s menswear 2018 collection becoming the first African American artistic director of the world-known brand Louis Vuitton.
Virgil Abloh
200
This artist is a screenwriter and film/TV producer. She has won a best directing role and been nominated for Best Director and Best Picture at major American awards shows. This artist has a film in movie theaters now addressing caste systems around the world.
Ava DuVerney
300
This artist uses fibers and quilting to make her artwork look like paintings.
Bisa Butler
300
This producer is known for co-producing the famous R&B/Hip-Hop song, Crazy in Love and has written and produced songs for the late Notorious B.I.G, Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey and more!
Jay-Z
300
This artist had their directorial debut in 2013 with the biographical film, Fruitvale Station. Since then, this artist has been nominated for Academy Awards, a Golden Globe and a Grammy and became famous for co-writing and directing, Black Panther, making him the first African-American Marvel Studios director.
Ryan Coogler
400
This artist, who passed away in 1978, was an art teacher in Washington, DC for 30 years before exhibiting her own mosaic paintings for the first time at age 75.
Alma Woodsey Thomas
400
This dancer wrote 2 children's books, Firebird in 2014 and Bunheads in 2020, which both revolve around the ballet world. This dancer is also the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal ballerina of the American Ballet Theatre.
Misty Copeland
400
This artist is a graduate of the HBCU, Morehouse College, and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Since 1985, he has directed over 20 films, most of which are about the African American experience and challenging racial stereotypes. His classic films include "Do the Right Thing","Malcolm X" and "Crooklyn". He is also arguably the biggest Knicks fans.
Spike Lee
