David C. Driskell ‑ an artist and a scholar in the field of African-American art – died from coronavirus on April 1, 2020.
Driskell was emeritus professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.
David Clyde Driskell was born in Eatonton, Georgia, the son of George Washington Driskell, a minister, and Mary Cloud Driskell, a homemaker. When he was five years old, he moved with his family to western North Carolina.
Driskell attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating with a bachelor's degree in art in 1955; he also completed the summer program at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1953. After teaching for several years at Talladega College in Alabama, he went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Catholic University, in 1962.
He was an associate professor of art at Howard University from 1963 to 1964. In 1964 he held a fellowship at the Netherlands Institute for Art History in The Hague. He joined the faculty of Fisk University, Nashville, in 1966, as professor of art and chairman of the department. After ten years at Fisk, he moved to the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1976. He chaired the department there from 1978 to 1983 and, in 1995, was named Distinguished University Professor of Art.
In 1976, Driskell mounted Two Centuries of Black American Art for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which was the highest-profile exhibition of its kind at a major U.S. museum, and according to ARTnews, "staked a claim for the profound and indelible contributions of black and African American art makers since the earliest days of the country." He additionally curated many shows of work by black artists, including Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Elizabeth Catlett.
Driskell held nine honorary doctoral degrees. In 2000, he was honored by President Bill Clinton as one of 12 recipients of the National Humanities Medal. David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar by Julie L. McGee, a book detailing Driskell's life and work, was published in 2006.
Driskell's art is represented by the DC Moore Gallery. His first exhibition at the gallery was held in October 2006.
The David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park was named in tribute to him and honors his legacy.
Driskell died in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19 in Washington, D.C..