Mark Bradford is a contemporary American artist renowned for his large-scale abstract paintings that often incorporate everyday materials such as paper, posters, and textiles. His works are known for their complexity, layering, and ability to comment on social, racial, and political issues. Bradford’s pieces resonate with themes of urban life, resilience, and inequality, making him a unique voice in contemporary art.
Biography
Mark Bradford (born November 20, 1961) is a prominent American artist known for his unique visual style. He was born, resides, and works in Los Angeles. Bradford studied at the California Institute of the Arts and gained recognition for his large-scale collaged paintings, which have been exhibited globally. His creative practice spans various mediums, including video, printmaking, and installation. In 2017, he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale, and in 2021, he was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People.
Bradford grew up in South Los Angeles. His mother ran a beauty salon in Leimert Park, and Bradford occasionally helped her with the business. At age 11, his family relocated to a predominantly white area in Santa Monica, but his mother kept her salon in their old neighborhood. After completing high school, Bradford earned a hairdressing license and worked in his mother's salon for some time.
He began his higher education at Santa Monica College before transferring to the California Institute of the Arts, where he completed his degree in 1991. Bradford earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1995 and followed it with a Master of Fine Arts in 1997, completing his academic journey at the age of 30.
Style, Movement, and Themes
Mark Bradford is recognized for his distinct abstract style that combines elements of abstract expressionism and post-minimalism, creating large-scale, grid-like paintings through layered collage techniques. His works often incorporate found materials, such as paper and cords, which he reworks through methods like gouging, tearing, shredding, gluing, power-washing, and sanding. Bradford's complex layering process allows him to explore themes of urban life, social inequality, and the marginalization of African American communities. His pieces often resemble aerial views of cities, with streets, maps, and buildings overlapping in chaotic yet structured compositions.
Bradford frequently incorporates merchant posters—advertisements for services such as housing, legal advice, and paternity tests, which he collects from urban neighborhoods. According to art critic Sebastian Smee, these posters reflect "the texture of the urban environment" and are emblematic of his focus on transitional spaces and marginalized communities.
In addition to his social commentary, Bradford occasionally addresses themes of masculinity and gender, drawing from his own experiences as a gay man. His works challenge traditional narratives and explore the intersection of race, identity, and sexuality.
Famous Works
Mark Bradford's "Scorched Earth" and "Black Wall Street" (2006) were created in response to the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, a violent attack on the Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He revisited this historical theme in 2021 with the painting "Tulsa Gottdamn", marking the centennial commemoration of the massacre. Bradford's engagement with this dark chapter of American history highlights his interest in racial violence and its long-term effects on marginalized communities.
Bradford's "Orbit" (2007) is a significant piece that incorporates an image of a basketball set against a dense grid representing the streets of Los Angeles. The artwork, created through a mix of collage and décollage, reflects the fragility of urban structures. It draws comparisons to the iconographies of Black sports heroes, similar to the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, yet Bradford’s approach is more ambiguous, questioning whether the basketball symbolizes hope or the false promise of escape from the inner city.
"A Truly Rich Man is One Whose Children Run into His Arms Even When His Hands Are Empty" (2008), a nearly 9-foot wide and tall piece, evokes imagery of shattered windshields from riots, with dark webs of light streaking across its surface. Critic Maxwell Heller has noted that the work’s tactile layers, which have been sliced, sanded, and lacquered, reveal the sensual nature of Bradford’s process.
Bradford's practice extends beyond painting, incorporating video, print, and installation. His 2008 installation "Mithra" was a massive 70 x 20 x 25-foot ark made from salvaged plywood, constructed for Prospect New Orleans, an exhibition commemorating Hurricane Katrina. That same year, he also created an installation on the roof of Steve Turner Contemporary Gallery in Los Angeles, across from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which was later restaged at the 55th Carnegie International.
In 2015, Bradford created "Pull Painting 1", a site-specific wall drawing inspired by Sol LeWitt, along a 60-foot wall at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Using layers of vibrant paper, paint, and rope, Bradford sanded, peeled, and cut away sections to create a highly textured composition.
Bradford's installation "Pickett’s Charge" (2017) at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., is one of his most monumental works, directly inspired by the Gettysburg Cyclorama. This 400-foot-long piece reinterprets the Civil War battle in a contemporary context, layering historical imagery with modern themes of conflict and division.
In 2017, Bradford also installed "We the People" at the U.S. Embassy in London. This large mural incorporates fragments of the U.S. Constitution, examining themes of governance and representation, while also addressing how the concept of "we" is defined.
Finally, his 2018 piece "WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT" at the University of California, San Diego was a 195-foot-tall structure examining the influence of technology on communication. The phrase itself references the first telegraph message sent by Samuel Morse, further tying Bradford’s work to technological and societal evolution.
Exhibitions and the Art Market
In 1998, Mark Bradford held a solo exhibition titled "Distribution" at Deep River, an artist-run gallery in Los Angeles founded by Daniel Joseph Martinez and Glenn Kaino. This marked a pivotal moment in his early career. In 2001, Bradford's work received significant attention when Thelma Golden included his collages made from hairdressing endpapers, such as "Enter and Exit the New Negro" (2000) and "Dreadlocks Can’t Tell Me Shit" (2000), in the influential "Freestyle" exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem. These collages alluded to Bradford's previous experience working in his mother's hair salon in South Los Angeles.
Throughout his career, Bradford has exhibited at major institutions worldwide, including the Wexner Center for the Arts, the Royal Academy of London, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. His participation in prestigious events such as the Liverpool Biennial (2006), the São Paulo Biennial (2006), and the Whitney Biennial (2006) cemented his status as a leading figure in contemporary art.
In 2014, Bradford presented "The King's Mirror", a 100-foot-long mural at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University. The following year, he debuted "Tears of a Tree" at the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai and his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, "Scorched Earth", at the Hammer Museum. His landmark 2017 exhibition at the Venice Biennale, titled "Tomorrow Is Another Day", was widely praised and likened to Jackson Pollock's impact on American art.
In recent years, Bradford has continued to push boundaries. His 2018 exhibition, "Cerberus", at Hauser & Wirth London, featured large-scale paintings and a video piece inspired by Greek mythology. Additionally, Bradford's ongoing engagement with social issues is reflected in his 2019 exhibition "Mark Bradford: Los Angeles" at the Long Museum in Shanghai, which focused on the 1965 Watts riots.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradford adapted to the new reality with an online exhibition titled "Quarantine Paintings", showcasing new works created in lockdown. His influence continues to grow, as evidenced by his 2021 solo show "Masses & Movements" at Hauser & Wirth Menorca. His work has earned numerous accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship and induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Bradford’s impact on the art world is further acknowledged by his inclusion in Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2021 and his ongoing influence in Los Angeles, highlighted by a feature in the Los Angeles Times in 2024.
In 2015, Mark Bradford's mixed-media collage "Constitution IV" (2013) reached a record-breaking price of $5.8 million at Phillips, marking a career-high at auction for the artist. This sale came just months after another piece, "Smear" (2015), was sold at Sotheby's New York for $4.4 million, significantly surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $700,000.
In March 2018, Bradford's monumental work "Helter Skelter I" achieved an even more impressive milestone, selling for $12 million at auction. This sale not only set a personal record for Bradford but also marked the highest auction price ever achieved by a living African American artist, according to data from Phillips and previous auction results.
Influence on Other Artists
Bradford's approach may have influenced numerous younger artists, particularly in his use of found materials and his ability to comment on social and political issues through abstraction. Artists like Njideka Akunyili Crosby and El Anatsui may have drawn parallels to Bradford’s methods of material manipulation and thematic focus, though their work remains distinct.
Little-Known Facts
Few people know that Bradford’s early career in his mother’s hair salon influenced his artistic process. He often incorporates materials related to the hairdressing world, such as the "end papers" used for perms, which feature prominently in many of his works. Additionally, Bradford is deeply involved in social causes: he co-founded Art + Practice, a non-profit organization supporting foster youth in Los Angeles.
Bradford was featured in an episode of 60 Minutes, where he was interviewed by Anderson Cooper. This episode originally aired on May 12, 2019. In recognition of the quality of this feature, CBS News won a News & Documentary Emmy Award in September 2020, specifically in the category of Outstanding Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Report.
Mark Bradford’s innovative approach to abstract art, combined with his ability to weave social, political, and racial narratives into his work, makes him one of the most influential artists of our time. His large-scale, layered compositions challenge traditional boundaries and provide a powerful commentary on contemporary urban life.
Selena Mattei