Benny Andrews

1930 - 2006

American (Madison, Georgia - Brooklyn, New York)

American painter, educator, and illustrator, 1930-2006. A figural expressionist painter who often incorporated fabric and mixed-media collage into his works, as well as making sculptures, prints, and drawings. Earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1958. His work explored themes of suffering and injustice and focused on autobiography, race, history, and power. His pieces often focused on the lives of real or imagined Black subjects, including intimate depictions of family and friends. Andrews co-founded the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, which pushed for greater representation of African-American artists and curators in New York’s major art museums during the late 1960s and 70s, and briefly served as the Director of the Visual Arts Program for the National Endowment for the Arts in the early 80s.

He studied at Fort Valley State college for two years, went to the service, and when he returned used G.I Bill to attend the Art Institute of Chicago in 1954.