Details:
① Artwork:
Combs, Fros and Flowers 7
This painting shows the beauty of natural hair. About this work, the artist said: "When I was growing up, I didn’t know how to appreciate my hair texture, so I would use a texturizer to make it appear straighter, not realizing the beauty in the struggle of dealing with my hair. Now I want to highlight hair in this texture range, along with those that wear their hair with confidence."
Glenn Hardy Jr. creates alluring and powerful paintings of Black life liberated from the burdens of racial stereotypes and conflict. The artist idealizes his subjects by deliberately darkening their skin tone, creating a world where Black figures exist in comfort, relaxation, joy and even triumph—free from the realities of existence as a marginalized minority in America. The artist’s work chronicles facets of Black life, including Black talent, Black “comfort” and Black voice. Employing a style influenced by Kerry James Marshall and Ernie Barnes, Hardy's work subverts, transcends and ultimately replaces stereotypical and negative depictions of American Black life.
Specs:
③ Artist:
Glenn Hardy Jr.’s paintings depict Black life liberated from American racial stereotypes that depend on conflict. Deliberately darkening their skin tone, the artist creates idealized figures from his subjects in a style that draws from the work of Kerry James Marshall and Ernie Barnes. Hardy’s work chronicles the lives of Black people and Black voices, featuring scenes where joyous figures are comfortable, relaxed and triumphant.
BIO:
Glenn Hardy Jr. was born in Washington, DC in 1995, and raised in Waldorf, Maryland. The self-taught artist graduated from Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Solo exhibitions of Hardy’s work have taken place at: the United Talent Agency (UTA) Artist Space in Beverly Hills, California (2020); and Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles, California (2022).
Group exhibitions that have included Hardy’s work have taken place at: Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles, California; and the Kinsey Collection at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
