Radcliffe Bailey’s prolific work developed unique narratives of the African American experience.
Bailey died of brain cancer on November 15, 2023, just 10 days before his 55th birthday. He was born on November 25, 1968, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, and was raised in Atlanta. He received his BFA from The Atlanta College of Art in 1991.
“EW, SN” by Radcliffe Bailey
Radcliffe Bailey’s work combines a deep historical consciousness with the histories of his own family and community. EW, SN reveals Bailey’s signature layering of evocative and culturally resonant images—here, railroad tracks suggest the Underground Railroad while simultaneously referring to Bailey’s father, who was a railroad engineer.
The title, “EW, SN,” refers to the Great Migration, which took place between 1910 and 1970, when more than six million African Americans, including Bailey’s own relatives, migrated from east to west and from south to north to pursue economic opportunity in industrial urban centers.
Bailey’s art is currently on view in several exhibitions, including “Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage” at Frist Art Museum in Nashville until December 31, 2023, and “The Big Picture” at Night Gallery in Los Angeles until December 22, 2023.