Last week I saw “Jack’s Jacks,” an exhibit of work by American painter Jack Whitten (1939-2018) at Hamburger Bahnhof - Berlin. Again, this is a painter of note that I had never heard of. I am still working on my art education!

I was very impressed by the show. I read several reviews after seeing the exhibit. Most of the reviews were favorable and overlapped with my own thoughts. One review was pretty mean-spirited, stating that the only reason Hamburger Bahnhof was staging the show was as an affirmative action gesture. Judging from the video interview, which played in the entryway to the exhibit, and judging from the work itself, I think it's apparent that Whitten was not primarily billing himself as an “African-American artist," even though several of his paintings are tributes to African-American historical figures. As he stated in the video, he wanted to be remembered as “just one of the guys.” And I think his painting stands on its own merit as unique and important work. However, even if the museum had concocted the show just for the sake of affirmative action - who cares? The bottom line is that the show is great and deserves to be seen. I hope it travels to the U.S.

His paintings are very materials-oriented. Every painting in the show reveals a unique thought, and also lays out a different visual “navigation path.” All together, this creates a feeling of exploration and adventure for the viewer!

I found this show very sincere and touching. Whitten’s empathy, care, and his spirit of hope really come across.

The show continues through September 1.

Here are some of my favorite pieces: