Nothing looks quite like an Amy Sherald painting. In each of her portraits, the form for which she is best known, an impeccably painted figure stands smack in the middle of a slab of color. But rather than plucking the subject out of reality and placing them in a vacuum, this effect elevates the portrayed to the level of a timeless symbol, a physically manifested corrective to art’s long tradition of erasure. “I paint because I am looking for versions of myself in art history and in the world,” Sherald has said. Her work is a radical act of representation, one that, with grace and breathtaking beauty, foregrounds the interiority and experiences of black people. Sherald’s first show at Hauser & Wirth, “the heart of the matter … ,”  is on view through October 26. A selection of images from the exhibition appears below. 

Amy Sherald, When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be (Self-imagined atlas), 2018, oil on canvas, 54″ x 43″ x 2″. © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joseph Hyde.

Amy Sherald, The girl next door, 2019, oil on canvas, 54″ x 43″ x 2 1/2″. © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joseph Hyde.

Amy Sherald, If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it, 2019, oil on canvas, 108″ x 130″ x 2 1/2″. © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joseph Hyde.

Amy Sherald, Sometimes the king is a woman, 2019, oil on canvas, 54″ x 43″ x 2 1/2″. © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joseph Hyde.

Amy Sherald, A single man in possession of a good fortune, 2019, oil on canvas, 54″ x 43″ x 2 1/2″. © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joseph Hyde.

Amy Sherald, Precious jewels by the sea, 2019, oil on canvas, 108″ x 120″ x 2 1/2″. © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Joseph Hyde.

All images © Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photos: Joseph Hyde.