On Friends and Strangers
Glenn Ligon and Thelma Golden

The artistic exchanges between Glenn Ligon and Thelma Golden that unfolded in the 1990s and early 2000s have had a lasting impact within the field of art history. From Ligon’s inclusion in Golden’s groundbreaking Black Male (1994–95) exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art to Golden’s curation of the debut of Ligon’s Stranger paintings (1996–ongoing) at the Studio Museum in Harlem, their collaborations demonstrate the profound role of interpersonal relationships and community in shaping both artistic and curatorial practices. Their conversation offers a glimpse into the shared histories, mutual influences, and evolving dialogues that continue to shape their lifelong friendship. The talk will precede Ligon’s honoring later that evening at the Museum’s annual ArtCrush gala. 

Glenn Ligon is an American artist best known for text-based works that challenge constructions of race, gender, and sexuality. Ligon came to prominence in the 1990s with his landmark series of paintings composed of phrases culled from the writings and speeches of figures such as James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Jean Genet, and Ralph Ellison. Hand stenciled, often repeatedly, the literary excerpts yield surfaces that experiment with legibility and the limits of signs and perception. Ligon continues to explore these themes through printmaking, photography, film, video, and sculptural installation, including the luminous neon wall reliefs he began in 2005. In 2011, the Whitney Museum of American Art organized the traveling mid-career retrospective Glenn Ligon: AMERICA. He has also been the subject of significant solo exhibitions at the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, England (2024); Camden Arts Center, London (2014); The Power Plant, Toronto, Ontario (2005); and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2001). Ligon is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including an Archives of American Art Medal (2017) and the Studio Museum’s Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize (2009).

Thelma Golden is the Ford Foundation director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, the world’s leading institution devoted to visual arts by artists of African descent. She began her career in 1987 as a fellow at the Studio Museum, then joined the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1988. Golden returned to the Studio Museum in 2000 as the deputy director for exhibitions and programs and was named the director and chief curator in 2005. Under her leadership, the Studio Museum has gained renown as a global leader in the exhibition of contemporary art and a cultural anchor in the Harlem community. Now in her 25th year at the Museum, she is ushering in a new era for the institution with the construction of the first-ever purpose-built facility in its over 50-year history. Golden serves on the board of directors for the Barack Obama Foundation, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Mellon Foundation. She holds a B.A. in Art History and African American Studies from Smith College and is a recognized authority on contemporary art by artists of African descent.