James Phillips

James Phillips received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1998 and was an active member in artist collectives such as the Weusi Artist Collective and AfriCOBRA. Phillips initially pursued music when he moved to New York City in the 1960s but transitioned to painting full time. Exploring African heritage and imagery is the main ignition behind Phillips’ work. His work is full of vibrant colors, dynamic patterns, and stylized interpretations of African imagery. One of his inspirations is Kente cloth mythology that assigns significant meanings to certain colors. As his career progresses, Phillips has moved away from the more densely patterned art, like the Untitled work in the Harlem Art Collection, to explore positive and negative spaces through a fluid use of color and shape. James Phillips works as an artist and educator at Howard University.

Title: Unknown   
Artist: James Phillips (b. 1945)             
Date: n.d.
Medium: acrylic on linen                     
Dimensions: 77 x 51.5 inches
Accession Number: H07.06

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