Overview
Richard J. Powell is John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art & Art History at Duke University, where he has taught since 1989. He studied at Morehouse College and Howard University before earning his doctorate in art history at Yale University. Along with teaching courses in American art, the arts of the African Diaspora, and contemporary visual studies, he has written extensively on topics ranging from primitivism to postmodernism, including such titles as Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson (1991), Black Art: A Cultural History (1997 & 2002), and Cutting a Figure: Fashioning Black Portraiture (2008).
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
John Spencer Bassett Distinguished Professor of Art and Art History
·
1999 - Present
Art, Art History & Visual Studies,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Art, Art History and Visual Studies
·
1998 - Present
Art, Art History & Visual Studies,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Director of Graduate Studies of Art, Art History & Visual Studies
·
2024 - Present
Art, Art History & Visual Studies,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Department of African and African American Studies
·
2014 - Present
African & African American Studies,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Scholarly Works
The NCA :) Code
Book section · October 8, 2025 The highly anticipated debut monograph from trailblazing artist Nina Chanel Abney Combining representation and abstraction, Nina Chanel Abney's paintings capture the frenetic pace of contemporary culture. ... CiteThe Art of Raymond Saunders: Colored
Book section · September 2, 2025 Discover Raymond Saunders's dynamic paintings and his extraordinary legacy as an artist and thinker in this first ever monograph. ... CiteBlack Broad Shoulders
Book section · September 2025 A comprehensive overview of the work and creative practice of American artist Theaster Gates. A self-designated "keeper of objects," Theaster Gates investigates the value of things and their potential to hold layered meanings in his work. ... CiteRecent Grants
National Humanities Center Spring 2024 Fellowship
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Humanities Center · 2024 - 2024The Met - Lauder Research Center residency Fall 2023
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 2023 - 2023Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professorship
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Gallery of Art · 2019 - 2019View All Grants
Education
Yale University ·
1988
Ph.D.
Yale University ·
1984
M.Phil.
Yale University ·
1982
M.A.
Howard University ·
1977
M.F.A.
Morehouse College ·
1975
B.A.