Picture Books Celebrating Black Artists & Their Work

By NYPL Staff
January 17, 2025

Art can help us understand our history and our lives. Despite facing significant barriers, Black artists have used their talents to express themselves, reflect the Black experience in America, and influence social change. These picture books introduce young readers to visionary artists and their works including descriptions of how their artistic lives began in childhood. 

Learn more about Black History Month events, programs, and recommended reading at The New York Public Library.

  • A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

    by Jen Bryant; illustrated by Melissa Sweet

    Presents an illustrated introduction to the life and work of artist Horace Pippin, describing his childhood love for drawing and the World War I injury that challenged his career.

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    Art From Her Heart Folk Artist Clementine Hunter

    by Kathy Whitehead; illustrated by Shane Evans

    Clementine Hunter's paintings went from hanging on her clothesline to hanging in museums, yet because of the color of her skin, a friend had to sneak her in when the gallery was closed.

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    Faith Ringgold: Narrating the World in Pattern and Color

    by Sharna Jackson; illustrated by Andrea Pippins

    Presents an illustrated look at the life of American painter, writer, mixed media sculptor, and performance artist, Faith Ringgold.Step into her life and learn what led her to mix different media and craft powerful stories into quilts. Travel with her from Harlem, New York, to Europe, Ghana, and Nigeria. Pick a cause that you care about and try combining it with fabric or sculpture to make your own artworks!

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    Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, a Young Artist in Harlem

    by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts; illustrated by Christopher Myers

    From his mother’s apartment, where he is surrounded by brightly colored walls with intricate patterns; to the streets full of familiar and not-so-familiar faces, sounds, rhythms, and smells; to the art studio where he goes each day after school to transform his everyday world on an epic scale, Jake takes readers on an enchanting journey through the bustling sights and sounds of his neighborhood.

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    Grandpa and the Library: How Charles White Learned to Paint

    by C. Ian White

    Written and illustrated by White’s son, C. Ian White, and featuring full-color reproductions of Charles White’s artworks, this deeply personal story traces the childhood influences that inspired young Charles to become an artist and a teacher.

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    Jackie Ormes Draws the Future: The Remarkable Life of a Pioneering Cartoonist

    by Liz Montague

    This inspiring picture-book biography of the first Black female cartoonist in America, who tackled racism, pollution and social justice—and made the world listen—chronicles her life and how her work inspires countless artists today.

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    Take a Picture of Me, James VanDerZee!

    by Andrea J. Loney; illustrated by Keith Mallett

    James VanDerZee was just a young boy when he saved enough money to buy his first camera. He took photos of his family, classmates, and anyone who would sit still for a portrait. Eventually he outgrew his small town and moved to the exciting, fast-paced world of New York City. After being told by his boss that no one would want his or her photo taken "by a black man," James opened his own portrait studio in Harlem. He took photographs of legendary figures of the Harlem Renaissance—politicians such as Marcus Garvey, performers including Florence Mills, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and Mamie Smith-and ordinary folks in the neighborhood too. 

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    It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw

    by Don Tate; illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

    Recounts the life of the twentieth-century African American folk artist Bill Traylor, a former slave who at the age of eighty-five began to draw pictures based on his memories and observations of rural and urban life in Alabama.

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    Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art

    by J.H. Shapiro; illustrated by Vanessa Newton

    Describes artist Tyree Guyton's efforts to rebuild his childhood community from neglected, trash-filled lots to an artful space, and explains how he and his community discovered the healing power of art in the process.

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    You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce!: The Storied Life of Folk Artist Elijah Pierce

    by Chiquita Mullins Lee and Carmella Van Vleet; illustrated by Jennifer Mack-Watkins

    Based on the true story of woodcarver Elijah Pierce and his community barber shop in Columbus, Ohio, this picture book follows a young boy who walks in for an ordinary haircut and walks out having discovered a lifetime of art. 

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    In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage

    by Alan Schroeder; illustrated by JaeMe Bereal

    Presents the life of the African American sculptor Augusta Savage, who overcame many obstacles as a young woman to become a premier female sculptor of the Harlem Renaissance.

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    Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat

    by Javaka Steptoe

    An introduction to the early life and achievements of modern art master Jean-Michael Basquiat describes how as a boy he saw art in all things and used his unique collage-style paintings to convey the pulsing, dynamic energy of New York City. 

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    Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy Decarava

    by Gary Golio; art by E.B. Lewis

    This visually stunning portrait of Black photographer Roy DeCarava, a child of the Harlem Renaissance and an artistic collaborator of Langston Hughes, takes readers through 1940s Harlem where beauty is everywhere as he immortalizes and documents the lives of ordinary Black people.

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    Ablaze With Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas

    by Jeanne Walker Harvey; illustrated by Loveis Wise

    Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most preeminent painters of the 20th century. Told from the point of view of young Alma Thomas, readers can follow along as she grows into her discovery of the life-changing power of art.
     

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    Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

    by Laban Carrick Hill; illustrated by Bryan Collier

    Presents the life of the 19th-century artist from South Carolina known as Dave, a Southern slave who became a renowned potter known for signing his pots with poetry.

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    Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery

    by Sandra Neil Wallace; illustrated by Bryan Collier

    Presents the true story of NFL star Ernie Barnes—a boy who followed his dreams and became one of the most important artists of his time known for his style of elongation and movement. His work has influenced a generation of painters and illustrators and can be found in museums and collections, such as the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the California African American Museum.

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    Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews

    by Kathleen Benson; illustrated with paintings by Benny Andrews

    Looks at the life of the artist Benny Andrews illustrated with his original paintings, from his childhood and youth in rural Georgia, through his studies in Chicago and his activism and artistic success in New York City.

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    Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring

    by Nancy Churnin; illustrated by Felicia Marshall

    Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her or paintings of people who looked like her. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African Americans. 

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    My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey

    by Jeanne Walker Harvey; illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

    In Harlem, New York City, an artist follows the rhythms of blues music as he recalls his North Carolina childhood while painting, cutting, and pasting to make art.

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    Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America

    by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrations by Jamey Christoph

    Gordon Parks is most famous for being the first Black director in Hollywood. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor African American looking for work. When he bought a camera, his life changed forever. He taught himself how to take pictures and before long, people noticed.

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    Henry Ossawa Tanner: His Boyhood Dream Comes True

    written and illustrated by Faith Ringgold

    Explores the life of the African Americna artist from his youth as a student of fine arts to his time in Paris, where his created his most celebrated works. He became one of America's most important painters, recognized and praised in both America and Europe.

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.