Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped some interesting news items his first Substack post of the year. I wanted to comment on ‘When Is Art Racist?’ but it is behind a paywall and my budget doesn’t allow it at the moment.
So with all due respect, I just want to excerpt a portion of Baba Jabbar’s post and share my thoughts on just that.
From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
“... Picasso was a notorious misogynist who abused the women he called his muses to such an extent that two of them committed suicide. His own granddaughter described his horrific treatment of women: “He submitted them to his animal sexuality, tamed them, bewitched them, ingested them, and crushed them onto his canvas. After he had spent many nights extracting their essence, once they were bled dry, he would dispose of them.” Yet, last June, his Nude, Green Leaves and Bust sold for $106,482,500. How are we to reconcile the great achievements and loathsome behavior of the same person?
First, we have to admit that there might be some contradictions to our decisions. Despite our best intentions, we may not always get it right and have to be willing to re-evaluate as we learn more. Second, we have to acknowledge the bad with the good rather than romanticizing or whitewashing them because it’s easier on us. I don’t think we should ban Picasso’s work, but we should teach the full truth about artists so the viewer can put the work in context. And we should ban works in government sites that glorify genocide, enslavement, treason, and other acts contrary to our values as a country.”
My Thoughts:
Thank you for the expose on Picasso via his granddaughter.
In my personal on-going journey with DeColonization, I can off-load Picasso and his art. If his treatment of women informs his art, then he has to go. Good-by to both. No contradictions in my decision. Our best intentions must include re-evaluations. I’m with you on that.
My stopping to salute the American flag came after a re-evaluation. Romanticizing and whitewashing is no longer a thing for me. That probably ended when I earned what the words in the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ meant when I was still in elementary school.
Banning is a white people thing. That never resonated with me. I was never taught to ban. Black folks don’t ban things. That’s not an Africana thing. It’s much easier to discard all that bullshit and walk away. That’s what I hear Marcus Mosiah Garvey say.
Baba Jabbar, I appreciate your entire post. I just wanted to comment on that one section.
Tell Me Something Good in the comments!
Asé
Peace & Blessings,
“Guided by the Ancestors”