Booth #228
CONTACT:
Navindren Hodges
(212) 333-2640
info@billhodgesgallery.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EXPO Chicago 2025
Bill Hodges Gallery at EXPO Chicago 2025: Featuring Romare Bearden, Richard Hunt, Jacob Lawrence, and more…
Bill Hodges Gallery is thrilled to return to EXPO Chicago 2025 for the second consecutive year. Our founder, Billy E. Hodges established the gallery in 1979, and we are located in the historic Chelsea area. Over the past four decades, we have had the privilege of placing artists such as Norman Lewis, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Richard Hunt, and Glenn Ligon into major private and public collections worldwide. These institutions include The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The National Gallery in Washington, DC, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
This Spring, we are exhibiting a dynamic selection of sculpture, works on paper, photography, and prints by some of the most influential African American artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We are bringing these works to EXPO Chicago this April to expose art patrons to the vast number of Black artists who have historically been excluded from the art historical canon. As a gallery, our goal is to disseminate knowledge of these legendary works- because Black Art History is Art History.
This year’s presentation will feature rare and significant artworks from leading figures such as Romare Bearden. In Rites of Spring, ca. 1940 Bearden’s vivid scene illustrates a Black community- specifically during Springtime. Bearden’s powerful depiction of a dignified Black life is an intriguing counterpart in the work of Jacob Lawrence, who similarly explored themes of struggle and resilience within the Black community. Ten Builders (From the Builders Suite), 1996 by Jacob Lawrence celebrates the dignity of Black labor with bold colors and dynamic composition. The artist depicts construction workers in motion, capturing their collective strength. Reminiscent of his lauded Migration Series, which features angular forms and rhythmic energy, this work retains some of the same stylistic aspects.
Further celebrating and recognizing the triumph and tragedy of the Black community, Hank Willis Thomas’s Hang Time, ca. 1923, 2008 is a powerful work that we look forward to sharing with our Chicago audience. Depicted is the Nike Michael Jordan symbol being lynched. This work speaks to the ways that Black men are taken advantage of by the National Basketball Association; and further, across the sports industry. This representation of racism against the Black community is visually echoed in the work, as viewers are required to critically examine the intersection of media, consumerism, and racial identity.
Further celebrating and recognizing the triumph and tragedy of the Black community, Hank Willis Thomas’s Hang Time, ca. 1923, 2008 is a powerful work that we look forward to sharing with our Chicago audience. Depicted is the Nike Michael Jordan symbol being lynched. This work speaks to the ways that Black men are taken advantage of by the National Basketball Association; and further, across the sports industry. This representation of racism against the Black community is visually echoed in the work, as viewers are required to critically examine the intersection of media, consumerism, and racial identity.
EXPO CHICAGO will take place between 24 April and 27 April at Navy Pier. Bill Hodges Gallery invites collectors, curators, and art lovers to visit our booth (#228) to explore a compelling selection of works that span generations and movements within art history. For press inquiries, images, checklists, programming, or additional information, please contact us.
