Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power at Tate Modern

Black people made art - who knew? It's wonder that had time between all that rioting, eh? Sarcasm aside, Tate Modern's Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power is worth a visit; firstly, for me, since Romare Bearden's collages fill a wall of the first room and they're fantastic (first two pics). A master of composition and figurative construction.

Secondly, Norman Lewis' America The Beautiful, which as you can see manages to depict the KKK in an ironically beautiful yet sinister, semi-abstract fashion...

Another stunning piece is Timothy Washington's One Nation Under God...

The Devil And His Game by Kay Brown brilliantly combines paper and acrylic...

Walking through time from room-to-room it became clear that the work I enjoyed most was the earlier stuff, cut-off point being around the turn of the decade into the 70s. If you like fluorescent colours, you'll think otherwise. I found few of the straight paintings to my taste. The sculpture room was good, especially this, I've Got Rhythm by Betye Saar...

As we emerged (therefore truly being 'emerging artists) the shop was playing Gil Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which sounded a little out of place in Tate Modern, a little too wannabe hip, but what the hell it is one of the crucial records of the era. I couldn't help wondering how many Tate Modern types knew the tune but it gave them a whiff of revolutionary chic, eh? Tut-tut...so cynical.