Contemporary artist Titus Kaphar makes oil-on-canvas copies of European and American portrait paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries and reconfigures them in strategic ways to create a dialogue about race, art and representation. His work is at once beautiful and halting as he dances between fictional narrative and history.

A graduate of Yale University, Kaphar makes work that is a timely display of what he sees as an alternative history. He sees his work as "the first sentence in a longer paragraph that the viewer completes." Engaging history through 18th- to 20th-century European and American paintings by noted figures including Édouard Manet and William Blake, Titus places race and social issues front and center.

Titus Kaphar is the first recipient of the Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Fellowship.

–Sandra Jackson-Dumont, Adjunct Curator and the Kayla Skinner Deputy Director of Education & Public Programs

Educational Resources
To explore this exhibition a little deeper, attend some of the related programs and events for kids, teens and adults. Teachers can integrate Titus Kaphar: History in the Making into their classrooms by taking advantage of our school tours and educator resources.