Lubaina Himid (born 1954) is a British artist and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

. She is a professor of

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic ...

at the

University of Central Lancashire , mottoeng = "From the Earth to the Sun" , established = as Institution for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledgere-established 1992 (University status granted) , type = Public , chancellor ...

.Biography; Full CV
Lubaina Himid website. Her art focuses on themes of cultural history and reclaiming identities."Lubaina Himid"
Northern Art Prize. Himid was one of the first artists involved in the UK's Black Art movement in the 1980s and continues to create activist art which is shown in galleries in Britain, as well as worldwide. Himid was appointed MBE in June 2010 "for services to Black Women's Art", won the

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award). ...

in 2017 and was promoted to CBE in the

2018 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

"for services to Art."

Early life and education

Himid was born in

Zanzibar Sultanate The Sultanate of Zanzibar ( sw, Usultani wa Zanzibar, ar, سلطنة زنجبار , translit=Sulṭanat Zanjībār), also known as the Zanzibar Sultanate, was a state controlled by the Sultan of Zanzibar, in place between 1856 and 1964. The Su ...

(then a British

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...

, now part of

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

) in 1954 and moved to Britain with her mother, a textile designer, following the death of her father when she was just four months old. She attended the Wimbledon College of Art, where she studied Theatre Design, obtaining her B.A. in 1976. She received her master's degree in Cultural History from the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...

in London in 1984.

Curatorial work

Himid has organized several exhibitions of work by black women artists, including '' Black Woman Time Now'' at the Battersea Arts Centre in London (1983) and ''

Five Black Women ''Five Black Women'' was an exhibition at the Africa Centre, London, featuring the work of British artists Sonia Boyce, Lubaina Himid, Claudette Johnson, Houria Niati and Veronica Ryan Veronica Maudlyn Ryan (born 1956 in Plymouth, Montserrat) ...

'', an exhibition in 1983 at the Africa Centre, London. Other exhibitions include: ''Into the Open'' (1984), ''The Thin Black Line'' (1985), ''Unrecorded Truths'' (1986), ''Out There Fighting'' (1987), ''New Robes for MaShulan'' (1987), and ''State of the Art'' (1987). ''Into the Open,'' presented at

Mappin Art Gallery Weston Park Museum is a museum in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is one mile west of Sheffield city centre within Weston Park. It is Sheffield's largest museum and is housed in a Grade II* listed building and managed by Museums Sheffi ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

, was widely regarded as the first major exhibit of the new generation of black British artists. ''Naming the Money'' (2004), presents an exuberant crowd of 100 enslaved people, in the roles they played in the princely courts of Europe: everything from dog-trainers, toy makers and mapmakers to dancing masters, musicians and painters. They were bought as the 'property' of wealthy Europeans at a time when Africans were regarded as units of currency and black servants were status symbols. Encountering these victims of eighteenth-century human trafficking, the visitor learns their original identities as well as those imposed on them.

Critical reception

Himid considers that critical views changed after her work was shown by the Hollybush Gardens gallery in London 2013. Prior to this date she had exhibited in the UK but not internationally or in the largest UK institutions. Reviewing an updated version of Himid's 2004 work "Naming the Money" for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' in February 2017,

Louisa Buck Louisa Buck is a British art critic and contemporary art correspondent for ''The Art Newspaper''. She was a jurist for the 2005 Turner Prize. She is also an author or co-author of books on contemporary art market. Early life and family background ...

noted:

"Himid's work has long been concerned with black creativity, history and identity and this animated throng represents the Africans who were brought to Europe as slave servants. There are drummers, dog trainers, dancers, potters, cobblers, gardeners and players of the viola da gamba, all decked out in vivid versions of 17th century costume. Labels on their backs identify each individual, giving both their original African names and occupations as well those imposed by their new European owners, and these poignant texts also form part of an evocative soundtrack, interspersed with snatches of Cuban, Irish, Jewish and African music."

Awards and honours

Board memberships

Himid has held positions on many boards and panels. She is on the board of trustees for the Lowry Arts Centre Manchester. Additionally, she is a board member for

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

Visual Arts,

Creative Partnerships Creative Partnerships was the UK government's flagship creative learning programme, established in 2002 as part of the council's SR2000 settlement to develop young people's creativity through artists' engagement with schools in nominated areas acro ...

East Lancs and Arts Council England North West. Previous board memberships include

Matt's Gallery Matt's Gallery is a contemporary art gallery currently located in Nine Elms at 6 Charles Clowes Walk, London, SW11 7AN. Its director, Robin Klassnik OBE, opened the gallery in 1979 in his studio on Martello Street, before moving premises to Coppe ...

, London (2002–05), and Tate Liverpool Council (2000, 2005). From 1985 until 1987 Himid was on the Greater London Arts Association Visual Arts Panel.

Awards

Himid was appointed MBE in the June

2010 Birthday Honours The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sai ...

"for services to Black Women's Art". In 2017 Himid became the first black woman to win the

. She was the oldest person to be nominated for the prize since the rules changed to allow nominations of artists over the age of 50. There were, however, older nominees in the 1980s, before the age limit was introduced in 1994. ''

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

'' magazine named Himid as 2017 Artist of the Year. Himid was promoted to CBE in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

"for services to Art."Boardman, Lyndsey (12 June 2018)
"CBE for Turner Prize winner and UCLan Professor"
University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). Himid was elected a

Royal Academician The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purp ...

in 2018.

Notable works

* ''We Will Be'' (wood, paint, drawing pins, wool, collage, 1983) * ''Bone in the China: success to the Africa Trade'' (installation, c. 1985) * ''Revenge: a masque in five tableaux'' (multipart installation, 1991–92) * ''Zanzibar'' (series of paintings, 1999) * ''Plan B'' (series of paintings, 1999–2000) * ''Swallow Hard: the Lancaster Dinner Service'' (painted ceramics, 2007) * ''Negative Positives'' (series of graphic works, 2007– ) * Kangas (associated works on paper etc., various dates) * ''Le Rodeur'' (series of paintings, 2016)

Public collections

Himid's work is in many public collections including

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Whitworth Art Gallery The Whitworth is an art gallery in Manchester, England, containing about 55,000 items in its collection. The gallery is located in Whitworth Park and is part of the University of Manchester. In 2015, the Whitworth reopened after it was transfo ...

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupies three ...

International Slavery Museum The International Slavery Museum is a museum located in Liverpool, England that focuses on the history and legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. The museum which forms part of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, consists of three main gallerie ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

Birmingham City Art Gallery Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local h ...

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

Art Gallery,

New Hall, Cambridge New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, and the

Harris Museum and Art Gallery The Harris Museum is a Grade I-listed building in Preston, Lancashire, England. Founded by Edmund Harris in 1877, it is a local history and fine art museum. History In the 19th century, it became legal to raise money for libraries by local ...

, Preston.

Solo exhibitions

* ''GA Fashionable Marriage'', Pentonville Gallery, London (1986) * ''The Ballad of the Wing'', Chisenhale Gallery, London (1989), and City Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent (1989) * ''Lubaina Himid: Revenge'', Rochdale Art Gallery, Rochdale (1992) * ''Plan B'' and ''Zanzibar'', Tate St. Ives (1999) * ''Inside The Invisible'', St. Jørgens Museum, Bergen, Norway (2001) * ''Double Life'',

Bolton Museum Bolton Museum is a public museum and art gallery in the town of Bolton, England, owned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council. The museum is housed within the grade II listed Le Mans Crescent near Bolton Town Hall and shares its main entrance ...

(2001) * ''Naming the Money'',

Hatton Gallery The Hatton Gallery is Newcastle University's art gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is based in the University's Fine Art Building. The Hatton Gallery briefly closed in February 2016 for a £3.8 million redevelopment and reopened in ...

, Newcastle upon Tyne (2004) * ''Swallow'', Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster (2006) * ''Swallow Hard'', Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster (2007) * ''Talking On Corners Speaking In Tongues'',

Harris Museum The Harris Museum is a Grade I-listed building in Preston, Lancashire, England. Founded by Edmund Harris in 1877, it is a local history and fine art museum. History In the 19th century, it became legal to raise money for libraries by local ...

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distr ...

(2007) * ''Kangas and Other Stories'', Peg Alston Gallery, New York City (2008) * ''Jelly Mould Pavilion'',

Sudley House Sudley House is a historic house in Aigburth, Liverpool, England. Built in 1824 and much modified in the 1880s, it is now a museum and art gallery which contains the collection of George Holt, a shipping-line owner and former resident, in it ...

, Liverpool and

National Museums Liverpool National Museums Liverpool, formerly National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, comprises several museums and art galleries in and around Liverpool, England. All the museums and galleries in the group have free admission. The museum is a non ...

(2010) * ''Tailor Striker Singer Dandy'', Platt Gallery of Costume, Manchester (2011) * ''Invisible Strategies'',

Modern Art Oxford Modern Art Oxford is an art gallery established in 1965 in Oxford, England. From 1965 to 2002, it was called The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. The gallery presents exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. It has a national and internationa ...

(2016–2017) * Warp and Weft, Firstsite,

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

(2017) * ''Our Kisses are Petals'',

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (also known simply as (the) Baltic, stylised as BALTIC) is a centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. It hosts a frequently changing variety ...

, Gateshead (2018) * Solo show at

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It ...

, London November (2021 - 2022)

References

External links

Official website

Jelly Pavilion

''National Life Stories: Artists Lives: Lubaina Himid''
Interviewed by Anna Dyke, British Library Sound Archive.
Lubaina Himid
at

Art UK Art UK is a cultural, education charity in the United Kingdom, previously known as the Public Catalogue Foundation. Since 2003, it has digitised more than 220,000 paintings by more than 40,000 artists and is now expanding the digital collection t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Himid, Lubaina Living people Black British artists British women painters Alumni of the Royal College of Art 1954 births Alumni of Wimbledon College of Arts Members of the Order of the British Empire Tanzanian emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century British women artists Turner Prize winners British installation artists 21st-century British women artists British contemporary artists Academics of the University of Central Lancashire Women art historians British art curators Royal Academicians British women curators