Advancing Art History

Titus Kaphar, an American painter whose work is featured at NYC's well-renowned Museum of Modern Art, introduces his talk on art by expressing his love for museums, and how he makes sure to show his children what they have to offer.

He continues his talk by telling them about a time when he was looking at a statue of Theodore Roosevelt with his children at the Natural History Museum, who is shown with a Native American man on his left, and an African American man on his right. When his son saw this, he asked Kaphar why Roosevelt was shown on a horse, while the other men were shown walking beside him.

With this example, Kaphar shows the need for these representations to be evolved in today's art. He continues his talk on art by showing how problematic the representation of minorities has been throughout history, and how his reinterpretations of them have helped to change the narratives that they tell.

In highlighting the erasure of African American figures in art, Kaphar speaks to the need to create art that honors today's diversity, and to acknowledge how much of the art in the past failed to do so.