Robert Colescott: Recent Paintings January 24-April 5, 1998 |  Press Release Following its premiere at the 47th Venice Biennale, this exhibition will begin its two-year United States tour at the Walker Art Center. Organized by independent curator Miriam Roberts for SITE Santa Fe, the exhibition honors Arizona-based artist Robert Colescott, the first painter to represent the United States at the Biennale since Jasper Johns in 1988 and the first African-American artist to represent the United States in a solo exhibition at the prestigious festival. On view will be 19 paintings from the past 10 years that employ a figurative vocabulary that challenges stereotypes and engenders debate on the state of human relations in the United States. Now 71, Colescott continues to produce vitally significant work and is an important role model for a younger generation of artists exploring issues of racialization, identity, power, and gender. Most importantly, he has created one of the most powerful bodies of work in recent American art, employing a highly personal combination of narrative figuration blended with an ironic viewpoint addressing the major social issues of his time. This exhibition is an official presentation of the United States Government and was organized by Miriam Roberts for the United States Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale in association with SITE Santa Fe. Curator: Miriam Roberts, Independent Curator Walker coordinating curator: Eungie Joo