Raymond Saunders

Discover the visual dynamism of Raymond Saunders's paintings and his multifaceted legacy as an artist and thinker in this seminal monograph. Saunders’s work brings together the artist's extensive formal training with his own observations and lived experience. His assemblage-style paintings frequently begin with a monochromatic black ground elaborated with white chalk—a pointed reversal of the traditional figure-ground relationship. He subsequently adds a range of other markings, materials, and talismans. At once deliberately constructed and improvisatory, didactic and deeply felt, these richly built surfaces conjure a range of themes, allowing for a vast and nuanced multiplicity of meanings. A record of a two-part exhibition presented at David Zwirner and Andrew Kreps gallery in 2024, this catalogue considers Saunders’s ability to infuse his work with social relevance and commentary. Featured texts include an introduction by curator Ebony L. Haynes; a conversation between Haynes and Studio Museum of Harlem director Thelma Golden about her multidecade engagement with Saunders’s artwork and writing; and a facsimile reproduction of Saunders's seminal self-published pamphlet from 1967 Black Is a Color, along with new annotated commentary by art historian Darby English. An essay by Jarrett Earnest provides an in-depth formal interpretation of two of Saunders’s chalkboard works. Also included is a never before published interview from 1980 between the artist and Judith Wilson in which Saunders discusses his multilayered practice. Lastly, a reprint of a pivotal text from 1993 by art historian Richard J. Powell offers a panoramic examination of Saunders’s art from 1968–1993, with a special focus on his iconic painting Dr. Jesus. This robust group of texts and academic considerations offers a compelling exploration of Saunders’s wide-ranging practice and lasting influence.