Michelangelo Lovelace

Michelangelo Lovelace: Art Saved My Life

Michelangelo Lovelace (1960–2021) grew up Black and poor in inner-city Cleveland, Ohio and discovered a knack for drawing at a young age. He pursued training from Cuyahoga Community College and the Cleveland Institute of Art, and despite facing financial hardship, addiction, and the loss of loved ones, he eventually became one of the city’s best-known painters. Michelangelo Lovelace: Art Saved My Life is divided into four sections. City Paintings represents Lovelace’s most prominent style, with urban landscapes shown from an elevated point of view. Through crowds of people as well as text appearing on street signs, storefronts, and billboards, the artist portrayed crime, drugs, poverty, and sin, but also community, compassion, progress, and salvation. The ‘Rodney King’ Series features the earliest paintings in the show, which came about after Lovelace witnessed the 1992 Los Angeles riots following the acquittal of police officers who had beaten King during an arrest. With collage elements and inspiration from graffiti, these intense works remain powerfully relevant in discussions of racism and police violence. News And Politics includes Lovelace’s timely responses to current events and pressing communal concerns. From the 9/11 terrorist attacks to Hurricane Katrina and COVID-19, the artist maintained a consistently compassionate view. Finally, Living An Artist’s Life represents the pride that Lovelace took in his identity as an artist and also reveals drawings that he created as part of his second career as a nursing assistant. While Lovelace is best known for his paintings, the show also features a significant number of drawings, as well as two small sculptures, a pair of sketchbooks, and three video interviews. It also includes a large-scale, interactive diorama that allows visitors to step into one of Lovelace’s images and add their own artwork and messages, realizing the artist’s hope that his pictures open new conversations. An illustrated catalogue is also available.