December 14th 2024.
Lorraine O'Grady, a pioneering Avant Garde and conceptual artist, who dedicated her life to advocating for Black women's perspectives in art, has passed away at the age of 90. On December 13, her passing was confirmed by a trust in her name, followed by a heartfelt tribute from her representing gallery, Mariane Ibrahim.
While the cause of O'Grady's death remains unknown, gallerist Mariane Ibrahim took to Instagram to express her admiration for O'Grady's activist work through her art. In her own words, Ibrahim wrote, "Lorraine O'Grady was a true force to be reckoned with. She refused to be confined by labels or limitations, embracing the complexity of her identity and life's journey. Lorraine paved the way for artists of color and women artists, forging critical and confident pathways between art and forms of writing."
Ibrahim continued to reflect on O'Grady's artistic legacy, stating, "Our lives, though shaped by different histories, were connected in ways that mirrored each other. Her impact will continue to resonate, a powerful force that echoes through everything she created, touching all who encounter her work with the same intensity and depth she embodied."
Born in Boston in 1934 to Jamaican immigrant parents, O'Grady received a degree in economics and Spanish literature from Wellesley College. After working in various government office jobs, she entered the creative art world in 1965 as a member of the Iowa Writers Workshop. It was there that she met and married her husband, Chappelle Freeman Jr., before eventually settling in Chicago with him.
In the late 1970s, O'Grady shifted her focus to pursuing her career as an artist, after years of teaching and critiquing in the art world. One of her most famous and impactful pieces, "Cutting of the New York Times," was created in 1977, where she transformed newspaper clippings into thought-provoking critiques of contemporary society.
Throughout her career, O'Grady remained committed to challenging oppressive narratives surrounding race, gender, and class, and the intersections between them. She expressed her activism through various mediums, including photography, writing, performance, and collage works. O'Grady used her artistic talent to make powerful cultural criticism in unique and impactful ways.
According to Art News, O'Grady's work often explored themes of feminism, surrealism, and the representation of Black women in art. She used her art to critique harmful systems of power in America and fought for greater inclusion of Black artists in galleries.
In her later years, O'Grady's work was published and featured by esteemed institutions such as Duke University Press and the Brooklyn Museum. Most recently, Ibrahim announced that O'Grady's work would be featured in a major exhibition in Chicago in April 2024, titled "The Knight, or Lancela Palm-and-Steel."
O'Grady is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Guy David Jones and Annette Olbert Jones, three grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Her passing is a great loss to the art world, but her impact and legacy will continue to inspire and challenge for generations to come.
In a related story, Salaam Remi curated the MuseZeuM Grand Puba and MC Lyte Art Unveiling at Art Basel, showcasing the intersection of hip-hop and art. Both O'Grady and Remi used their talents and platforms to break barriers and challenge societal norms, leaving a lasting impact on the art world and beyond.
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