Renée Cox

Renée Cox (b. 1960, Colgate, Jamaica) has established herself as a deliberate and influential force in contemporary American art over the past three decades, primarily through her compelling photography and mixed-media works. Her artistic practice is distinguished by its inherently provocative nature, directly engaging with and challenging deeply entrenched societal stereotypes, particularly those concerning the Black body and the representation of Black womanhood. The core of Cox's art consistently frames her characteristic self-portraits as poignant arguments on race, desire, religion, feminism, and broader visual and cultural aesthetics. She is widely recognized for her seminal role within the feminist art movement in the United States, with her works serving as powerful exemplars of Black Feminist politics. A key aspect of her methodology involves a systematic critique and repurposing of the established art historical canon. This often manifests through the strategic insertion of Black figures into traditionally white-dominated narratives, thereby creating new consciousnesses and correcting historical omissions. This approach suggests that the controversies her work often generates are not accidental byproducts but rather an integral component of her artistic strategy. By employing provocation, Cox aims to disrupt complacency and compel public discourse on uncomfortable topics such as race, gender, and historical bias. The resulting public discussions, even intense ones, serve to amplify her message, drawing wider attention to the systemic issues of representation and power that her art addresses, thereby extending the reach and impact of her critique beyond traditional art audiences.

Cox attended the Whitney Museum of American Art, Independent Study Program and earned an M.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts. The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation honored her in 2015, and she received the Aaron Matalon Award, The National Gallery of Jamaica in 2007. Her work is included in several collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Princeton Art Museum, and The Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Cox lives and works in Harlem, NY and Amagansett, East Hampton.