Khalif Tahir Thompson

Khalif Tahir Thompson is an African-American painter who has just graduated from The Yale School of Art. His work is populated by black figures set in colourful, shimmering environments that sometimes resemble patchworks verging on abstraction. The artist manages to imbue his figures with a genuine psychological identity, revealing a meticulous study of the human being. In this way, he reveals himself to be an outstanding portraitist. In his groups of figures, some are posed, while others are taken on the spot, without paying any attention to the painter. All of which adds to the feeling of immediacy of an artist in love with reality. Elsewhere, Thompson likes to depict isolated figures dozing in an atmosphere of serenity, despite the obvious vulnerability of his characters.

Thompson's works are filled with mysterious letters and numbers. He also employs a variety of techniques and materials - painting in oils and acrylics, the artist creates his own papers, which he then applies to the canvas. He likes to mix pearls, fabric, velvet, newspaper and leather. This is the first reference monograph on the practice of this very young painter whose work is already prolific.

First monograph of a young American artist. His paintings are held in prestigious institutions across the US, including Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, MI; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Perez Art Museum Miami, FL; The Columbus Museum of Art, OH; The Grant Hill Collection, Orlando, FL; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO.

Denise Wendel-Poray is a Canadian/French writer, editor, journalist and curator. She recently published The Last Days of the Opera (Skira, 2022) and Painting The Stage: Artists as Stage Designers (Skira, 2019).