McArthur Binion facts for kids

McArthur Binion (born in 1946) is an American artist. He lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Binion was born in Macon, Mississippi. He studied art at Wayne State University and the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He also taught art at Columbia College in Chicago for many years.

Early Life and Education

McArthur Binion was born on September 1, 1946. He grew up on a cotton farm in Macon, Mississippi. He was one of 11 children in his family. In 1951, when he was five years old, his family moved to Detroit.

Binion went to Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in 1971. He then continued his studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He received his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree there in 1973.

Starting His Art Career

In 1973, McArthur Binion moved to New York City. There, he met and became friends with other artists. These included famous artists like Jean Michel-Basquiat and Sol Lewitt. In the same year, his art was shown in a group exhibition. This show was at Artists Space, a non-profit art organization.

Over the years, Binion's paintings have been shown in many important museums. These include the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the Studio Museum in New York, and the Detroit Institute of Art.

Moving to Chicago and Gaining Recognition

In 1991, Binion moved to Chicago. He became a Professor of Art at Columbia College in 1993. Even though he kept creating art, he did not show his work very often for a while. This changed in 2013 when art dealer Kavi Gupta started to represent him.

In 2017, Binion's work was featured in the 57th Venice Biennale. This is a very important international art exhibition. His paintings from his "DNA series" received a lot of attention there. In 2019, The New York Times newspaper wrote about him. They recognized him as one of several older African-American artists who were finally getting the attention they deserved.

What Kind of Art Does He Make?

dna:study (2020) at the Art Institute of Chicago, in 2023

McArthur Binion mostly creates minimalist abstract paintings. This means his art uses simple shapes and colors. He often uses crayons, oil stick, and ink in his work. He paints on strong surfaces like wood or aluminum.

For many years, Binion has used laser-prints as a base for his art. He puts these prints down first, then adds other materials on top. He says that his art is about doing "your own stuff in your own image." His style has been compared to other artists like Dorothea Rockburne and Jasper Johns.

Binion calls himself a "Rural Modernist." He explains that his art starts where Bebop improvisation (a type of jazz music) meets Abstract Expressionism (a style of painting). He is influenced by modern artists such as Kasimir Severinovich Malevich and Piet Mondrian.

In his recent "DNA Study" series, Binion's paintings are not fully abstract. Instead, they tell stories about the Black experience and his own life history. He uses pages from his old handwritten phone books, passport IDs, and negatives of his birth certificate. These personal items act as a guide for the lines and colors he adds with oil paint sticks.

Exhibitions

• 2019: Ghost: Rhythms & Haints, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
• 2018: Binion/Saarinen: The McArthur Binion Project, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
• 2017: VIVA ARTE VIVA, 57th Venice Biennale
• 2012: Perspectives 177: McArthur Binion, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston, TX

Where to See His Art

McArthur Binion's art is shown by several galleries around the world. These include Lehmann Maupin in New York, Hong Kong, and Seoul. He is also represented by Massimo De Carlo in Milan, London, and Hong Kong. Other galleries include Xavier Hufkens in Brussels and Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago.