New Season of Art21’s Flagship Series ‘Art in the Twenty-First Century’ Premieres With Artists Amy Sherald, Rose B. Simpson, and More

As part of a collaboration with Art21, hear news-making artists describe their inspirations in their own words.

Still from Art21 Season 11 "Everyday Icons." Courtesy of Art21.

Today, a new generation of artists will take a global stage in the new season of the beloved flagship PBS series “Art in the Twenty-First Century,” featuring Amy Sherald, Rose B. Simpson, Alex DaCorte, and more.

“I really have this belief that images can change the world,” Sherald says in the teaser—and she should know, as her portrait of the former first lady Michell Obama memorialized the historic American presidency and made history herself, as the first Black artist to be commissioned for the job.

The new season is organized across three themes: “Everyday Icons,” “Bodies of Knowledge,” and “Friends & Strangers,” and takes viewers into the studios of a range of artists who work across mediums. In a press statement, producers note that while earlier seasons of the series have delved into the cities where artists live and work, “Our current moment asks us to consider the communities, cultures, and commitments that artists carry with them regardless of where they call home.”

The full roster of artists featured in this season is: Tauba Auerbach, Linda Goode Bryant, Alex Da Corte, Guerrilla Girls, Miranda July, Christine Sun Kim, Daniel Lind-Ramos, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Amy Sherald, Rose B. Simpson, Hank Willis Thomas, and Anicka Yi.

Watch the video, which originally appeared as part of Art21’s series Extended Play, below. 

This is an installment of “Art on Video,” a collaboration between Artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips of news-making artists. A new season of the nonprofit Art21’s flagship series Art in the Twenty-First Century is available now on PBS. Catch all episodes of other series, like New York Close Up and Extended Play, and learn about the organization’s educational programs at Art21.org.


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