Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 78 works by Kerry James Marshall in our catalogue
In short
The Kerry James Marshall painting most people know is Could This Be Love (1992). Right after it come Untitled (Painter) (2010) and When Frustration Threatens Desire (1990). Out of 78 works by Kerry James Marshall in our catalogue, these 77 are the best known. Each one comes with its year, its museum and a short note on what makes it stand out.
In the quietude of 1992, Kerry James Marshall brings us into a private, suspended moment with Could This Be Love. The scene unfolds within the intimate confines of a bedroom, where two Black figures exist in a state of profound closeness. They are caught in the soft, transitional act of undressing for bed, a gesture that strips away the external world to reveal a core of human connection. This is…
Kerry James Marshall’s work often explores themes of racial identity, community, and belonging. Our Town is part of his Garden Project series, in which low-income housing projects are ironically rendered as idyllic places. The carefully painted houses, manicured lawn, and bright sky coexist uneasily with graffiti scribbles and trees tied with yellow ribbons, suggesting war or tragedy.Marshall contrasts the tidy scene, dominated by red, white, and blue, with deep black…
7am Sunday Morning2003 · Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
12
A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self1980
13
Two Invisible Men (The Lost Portraits)1985
14
Invisible Man1986
15
Silence is Golden1986
16
The Ecstasy of Communion1990
17
Woman with Death on Her Mind1990
18
Chalk Up Another One1992
19
The Land That Time Forgot1992
20
Stigma Stigmata1992
21
Voyager1992
22
Self-Portrait of the Artist as a Super Model1994
23
Untitled (Altgeld Gardens)1995
24
Bang1994
25
Many Mansions1994
26
The Lost Boys1993
27
Lost Boys: AKA Lil Bit1993
28
Scout (Girl)1995
29
Cub Scout1995
30
Brownie1995
31
Watts 19631995
32
Souvenir I1997
33
Memento #52003
34
Gulf Stream2003
35
Study for Vignette2004
36
Vignette IV2005
37
Vignette Suite2006 · Art Institute of Chicago
38
Black Painting2006
39
Portrait of a Curator (in Memory of Beryl Wright)2009 · Jack Shainman Gallery
40
Untitled2008
41
Untitled (Painter)2008
42
Bride of Frankenstein2009
43
Frankenstein2009
44
Portrait of a Curator (In Memory of Beryl Wright)2009
45
Untitled (Painter)2009 · Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
46
Portrait of Nat Turner with the Head of his Master2011
47
the Academy2012
48
Stono Group; "J.C. Kato"2012
49
Stono Group; "Jemmy"2012
50
Small Pin-Up (Fingerwag)2013
51
Untitled (Club Couple)2014
52
Untitled (Beach Towel)2014
53
Satisfied Man2015
54
Still-Life with Wedding Portrait2015
55
As Seen on TVBirmingham Museum of Art
56
Portrait of the Artist & a Vacuum1981
57
The Face of Nat Turner Appeared in a Water Stain (Image Enhanced)1990
58
So This Is What You Want?1992
59
Our Town1995 · Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
60
Beauty Examined1993
61
De Style1993
62
Campfire Girls1995
63
Slow Dance1993
64
Past Times1997 · McCormick Place
65
The Ladder of Success2004 · The Baltimore Museum of Art
66
Scipio Moorehead, Portrait of Himself, 17762007
67
The Actor Hezekiah Washington as Julian Carlton Taliesen Murderer of Frank Lloyd Wright Family2009
68
Untitled2009
69
Untitled, Red (If They Come in the Morning)2011
70
Black Star 22012
71
School of Beauty, School of Culture2012 · Birmingham Museum of Art
72
Untitled (Studio)2014
73
Untitled (policeman)2015
74
Untitled (Blot)2015
75
Voyager1992
76
At the End of the Wee HoursModern Art Oxford
77
Great America1994
The four subjects that come up most often in these pieces, each with its best-known example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Kerry James Marshall | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago |
Chicago | 3 | Untitled Mirror Girl, 7am Sunday Morning, Untitled (Painter) |
 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art |
Bentonville | 2 | Our Town, Our Town |
 Birmingham Museum of Art |
Birmingham | 2 | As Seen on TV, School of Beauty, School of Culture |
 Alte Nationalgalerie |
Berlin | 1 | Portrait of the painter Bonaventura Genelli |
 Bavarian State Painting Collections |
Munich | 1 | Tartini's dream: the Devil plays 'The Devil's Sonata' |
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 1 | Hildegard Thorell (1850-1930) |
 Art Institute of Chicago |
Chicago | 1 | Vignette Suite |
 Jack Shainman Gallery |
New York | 1 | Portrait of a Curator (in Memory of Beryl Wright) |
Pick a decade to see its standout piece.
In the quietude of 1992, Kerry James Marshall brings us into a private, suspended moment with Could This Be Love. The scene unfolds within the intimate confines of a bedroom, where two Black figures exist in a state of profound closeness. They are caught in the soft, transitional act of undressing for bed, a gesture that strips away the external world to reveal a core of human connection. This is…
Top of the list is Could This Be Love (1992). Right behind it: Untitled (Painter) (2010) and When Frustration Threatens Desire (1990).
37 years old. Kerry James Marshall was born in 1955, and Could This Be Love dates from 1992.
Could This Be Love, Untitled (Painter), When Frustration Threatens Desire, Stono Group; "Jemmy Cato", Untitled Mirror Girl, SOB, SOB, Our Town, Portrait of the painter Bonaventura Genelli, Tartini's dream: the Devil plays 'The Devil's Sonata' and Hildegard Thorell (1850-1930). You'll find the year and the museum of each in the list above.
We have 78 works by Kerry James Marshall in our catalogue, dated 1980 to 2015.
You'll find most of them in Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Chicago), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville) and Birmingham Museum of Art (Birmingham). The museum list above has the full breakdown.
In 1990s, more than any other time: 30 of the 77 pieces on this page date from then, Could This Be Love among them.
The earliest piece here is A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self (1980); the most recent is Satisfied Man (2015).
Black figures (3), Black figure (3) and Social commentary (2), out of the 77 pieces on this page.
Expressionism and Contemporary realism, as you can see in the pieces on this page.
You can see 3 of the pieces on this page at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, including Untitled Mirror Girl, 7am Sunday Morning and Untitled (Painter).
To encounter the work of Kerry James Marshall is to enter a space where history is both confronted and reclaimed. Born on October 17, 1955, in Birmingham, Alabama, Marshall’s early life was shaped by the profound social tremors of the American South and the subsequent migration to Los Angeles. His formative years were deeply etched by the 1965 Watts riots, a period of intense racial friction that instilled in him a lifelong commitment to exploring the complexities of the Black experience. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, near the headquarters of the Black Panther Party, Marshall was immersed in an environment where social responsibility and visual identity were inextricably linked. This upbringing provided the emotional and political bedrock upon which his monumental career would be built.
Marshall’s artistic education began at the Otis College of Art and Design, where he earned his BFA in 1978. It was during these formative academic years that he began to refine a visual language capable of challenging the long-standing exclusions of Western art history. Influenced by the social realism of figures like Charles White, Marshall developed a technique that utilized bold, dark hues—specifically deep blacks—to represent Black figures. This was not merely an aesthetic preference but a radical political act; by utilizing black as a primary, structural element, he sought to reject the caricatures and stereotypes that had historically marginalized African American subjects, instead asserting their presence with undeniable weight and dignity.
As his career progressed through the 1980s and 1990s, Marshall’s work evolved into a sophisticated dialogue between contemporary Black life and the grand traditions of European masters. He skillfully wove elements of Picasso and Rembrandt into his canvases, using their techniques to elevate mundane or everyday scenes of Black life into the realm of the monumental. His paintings often feature stylized figures set against starkly contrasting colors, creating a visual tension that demands the viewer's attention. Whether through large-scale oil paintings or intricate mixed-media collages, Marshall’s work explores themes of memory, domesticity, and the legacy of the Great Migration.
The depth of his artistry can be seen in the diverse range of his subject matter:
The historical significance of Kerry James Marshall lies in his ability to disrupt visual hierarchies. He has spent decades asserting that Black people occupy space—even the most ordinary, overlooked spaces—in ways that are profoundly fascinating and worthy of the highest artistic consideration. His work does not merely reflect history; it actively participates in the reconstruction of it, providing a much-needed corrective to the canon of art history. By placing Black figures within the frameworks of classical portraiture and historical narrative, he forces a confrontation with the viewer regarding who is seen and who is remembered.
Marshall’s accolades reflect his status as one of the most influential artists of his generation. In 2017, his impact was recognized globally when he was included on the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. From his tenure as a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago to major retrospective exhibitions like Kerry James Marshall: Mastry at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, his influence permeates both the academy and the public consciousness. Through his unwavering dedication to truth, beauty, and the reclamation of identity, Marshall remains a visionary force, ensuring that the Black experience is rendered with the complexity, dignity, and permanence it deserves.
