The Hilton Als Series: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Jan. 25, 2020–May 11, 2020 | Five studies of fictional characters by contemporary artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye create a dialogue with The Huntington's collection of formal 18th-century British portraits in this exhibition curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hilton Als.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Greenhouse Fantasies, 2014. Oil on canvas, 28 x 24 in. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Greenhouse Fantasies, 2014. Oil on canvas, 28 x 24 in. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, The Needs Beyond, 2013. Oil on canvas, 14 x 12 in. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, The Needs Beyond, 2013. Oil on canvas, 14 x 12 in. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Harp-Strum, 2016. Oil on canvas, diptych: 71 x 79 in. each. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Harp-Strum, 2016. Oil on canvas, diptych: 71 x 79 in. each. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Brothers To A Garden, 2017. Oil on linen, 59 x 48 in. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Brothers To A Garden, 2017. Oil on linen, 59 x 48 in. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (b. 1977), Medicine at Playtime, 2017, oil on linen, 79 x 48 in. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Purchased with funds provided by the Acquisition and Collection Committee. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Image courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (b. 1977), Medicine at Playtime, 2017, oil on linen, 79 x 48 in. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Purchased with funds provided by the Acquisition and Collection Committee. © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Image courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York and Corvi-Mora, London.

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Recent portrait-like paintings by contemporary British artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye are displayed adjacent to the historic Thornton Portrait Gallery at The Huntington in an exhibition curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hilton Als, staff writer and theater critic for The New Yorker magazine, and associate professor of writing at Columbia University. The installation of five of Yiadom-Boakye's studies of fictional characters create a dialogue with The Huntington's collection of highly formal 18th-century British portraits. Drawn from the world of found images and imagination, Yiadom-Boakye's figures seem familiar but also mysterious. She typically finishes each painting in a single day, infusing the works with freshness and spontaneity, as if they were painted from life.

The exhibition is the second in a trilogy at The Huntington that originated at the Yale Center for British Art. The first focused on the work of Celia Paul, and the final installment in 2021 will highlight the work of Los Angeles-based artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby.

"The Hilton Als Series: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye" is organized by the Yale Center for British Art where it was on view Sept. 12–Dec. 15, 2019.

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Spotify Playlist

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A musical companion to the exhibition that features an eclectic mix of music that influenced the artist. (A free Spotify account is required to access playlist.)