The Bookish Mindset

Overview:

Title: Reframing Blackness: What’s Black about “History of Art”
Author: Alayo Akinkugbe
Published: July 2025
Genre: Non-Fiction, Art
Themes: Racism, Colourism

One sentence summary: A brilliant and important argument defending the narrative for not separating Black Art from the rest of history, but actively including it.

One sentence review: Beautifully written and accessible for all readers, art fanatics or not.

Review:

Reframing Blackness defends the narrative for not separating Black Art from the rest of history, but the inclusion of it to ensure Black narratives are seen throughout and not just as an afterthought. Not to be “sidelined from the mainstream” as Akinkugbe puts it. It’s a brilliant and important argument.

Akinkugbe stresses the importance of inclusive histories and the reclamation and re-centring of Blackness and its delivered in such a beautifully accessible way that even a total art novice like me can follow along and entirely appreciate all the examples and interpretations.

While there’s obvious criticism of the areas and upholders that needs it, there’s hope wound through. Change is needed but it’s possible with the right work and the right people in the room.

I really loved the nods to intergenerational teachings and artforms as well. It’s so important practices like this or not.

I also really love that it has full colour pictures throughout of the work she discusses, it’s a beautiful book.

If this sounds like a bit of you and you’d like to get yourself a copy, you can support local bookshops while doing so on Bookshop.org with this link here. I’d love to know if you’ll be picking this one up, let me know below in the comments!

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And don’t forget to check out my other blogs and reviews – you can find books with similar themes in the same folder link below, or click back onto blogs to see the whole offering.

Last updated 18/07/2025