Black Belt: Archibald Motley

Archibald J. Motley Jr. (American, 1891–1981) Black Belt, 1934 Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood is alive with Jazz Age glam in Archibald Motley’s Black Belt. Motley sought social change through works that he hoped would speak across racial divides—depicting the diversity of black experiences, portraying intersecting social classes, and drawing from highly recognizable cinematic techniques. Through these, he painted modern American life.