WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Dawoud Bey

Dawoud Bey

Dawoud Bey

1953

WA-00003002

PhotographyPhotography

Representation

None documented

0

Institutional Exhibitions

65

Works in Collection

93

Assets Indexed

17

Authority-backed Facts

0

Publications Referenced

80%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (2)

WikidataQ5242608

Field Verification (6 fields)

3 cross-verified · 3 single-source

BiographyWikipedia + Duplicate Merge+2· 88%✓
Birth yearWikidata + Duplicate Merge+1· 92%✓
Primary mediumWikidata + Duplicate Merge+1· 92%✓
NationalityWikidata + Artsy+1· 92%
LocationArtsy + Wikidata+1· 85%
DeceasedUnknown· 20%

Source Registry (2)

Sean-Kellyhttps://www.artsy.net/artist/dawoud-bey
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred100%
MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/7053
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

Dawoud Bey makes large-scale photographic portraits of American adolescents and marginalized subjects positioned within their communities and urban environments. His work combines the immediacy of street photography with an unflinching attention to the social and psychological complexity of his subjects. A MacArthur Fellow since 2017, Bey has developed a practice that treats portraiture as a vehicle for documenting and contesting social invisibility. His photographs are marked by intimate scale and formal precision, creating a visual record that centers voices often excluded from mainstream representation.

Source: Sean Kelly · Trust score: 100% · Updated 2mo ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

Photography

Medium

Photography

Related Artists

12 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art Cleveland Museum of Art Art Institute of Chicago Whitney Museum of American Art

Canonical record

Artworks (65)

2021 · Three-channel video installation, color, sound, 10:58 min.

Dimensions variable

Whitney Museum of American Art

Night Coming Tenderly, Black: Untitled #17 (Forest)

2017 · Gelatin silver print

Sheet: 48 × 59 in. (121.9 × 149.9 cm) Image: 44 × 54 5/8 in. (111.8 × 138.7 cm) Mount: 48 × 59 × 1/8 in. (121.9 × 149.9 × 0.3 cm) Frame: 48 1/2 × 59 1/2 × 2 in. (123.2 × 151.1 × 5.1 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

Night Coming Tenderly, Black: Untitled #21 (Farmhouse and Picket Fence II)

2017 · Gelatin silver print

Sheet: 48 × 59 in. (121.9 × 149.9 cm) Image: 44 × 54 5/8 in. (111.8 × 138.7 cm) Mount: 48 × 59 × 1/8 in. (121.9 × 149.9 × 0.3 cm) Frame: 48 1/2 × 59 1/2 × 2 in. (123.2 × 151.1 × 5.1 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

Night Coming Tenderly, Black: Untitled #1 (Picket Fence and Farmhouse)

Night Coming Tenderly, Black: Untitled #1 (Picket Fence and Farmhouse)

2017 · Gelatin silver print

111.8 × 139.7 cm (44 × 55 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Untitled #11 (Bent Branches)

2017 · gelatin silver print

Image: 121.9 x 149.9 cm (48 x 59 in.); Framed: 122.7 x 151.1 x 5.1 cm (48 5/16 x 59 1/2 x 2 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Untitled #5 (Tree Trunk, Picket Fence and House)

2017 · gelatin silver print

Image: 121.9 x 149.9 cm (48 x 59 in.); Framed: 122.7 x 151.1 x 5.1 cm (48 5/16 x 59 1/2 x 2 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Braxton McKinney and Lavon Thomas

Braxton McKinney and Lavon Thomas

2012 · Inkjet prints (diptych), from "The Birmingham Project"

Each image: 91 × 71 cm (35 7/8 × 28 in.); Each paper: 100.1 × 80.5 cm (39 7/16 × 31 3/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

1999 · Polaroid

Image: 64.4 x 52.7 cm (25 3/8 x 20 3/4 in.); Image with border: 68.8 x 55.2 cm (27 1/16 x 21 3/4 in.); Paper: 73.3 x 55.6 cm (28 7/8 x 21 7/8 in.); Mounted: 74.4 x 56.8 cm (29 5/16 x 22 3/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

1999 · Polaroid

Image: 61 x 52.9 cm (24 x 20 13/16 in.); Image with border: 68.8 x 55.2 cm (27 1/16 x 21 3/4 in.); Paper: 73.4 x 55.8 cm (28 7/8 x 21 15/16 in.); Mounted: 74.4 x 56.6 cm (29 5/16 x 22 5/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

1996 · Dye diffusion transfer print (Polaroid) mounted on board, four parts

Overall (In-situ): 59 1/4 × 44 × 1/8 in. (150.5 × 111.8 × 0.3 cm) Sheet (each): 29 1/2 × 22 in. (74.9 × 55.9 cm) Mount (each): 29 5/8 × 22 × 1/8 in. (75.2 × 55.9 × 0.3 cm) Frame (each): 30 1/2 × 23 × 2 in. (77.5 × 58.4 × 5.1 cm) Overall (framed): 61 × 46 × 2 in. (154.9 × 116.8 × 5.1 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

Shakeia

1996 · Internal dye diffusion transfer print

Each image: 60.5 × 51 cm (23 7/8 × 20 1/8 in.); Each paper/mount: 75 × 56 cm (29 9/16 × 22 1/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Oneika I

1996 · Internal dye diffusion transfers on six framed panels

74.9 × 55.9 cm (29 1/2 × 22 in.), each; 224.8 × 111.7 cm (88 1/2 × 44 in.), installed

Art Institute of Chicago

Matt and Joaquin

Matt and Joaquin

1995 · Internal dye diffusion transfer print

Each image/paper: 65.5 × 55.5 cm (25 13/16 × 21 7/8 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Candida and Her Mother, Celia, II

Candida and Her Mother, Celia, II

1994 · Internal dye diffusion transfer prints (6)

Each image, approx: 61.4 × 53.2 cm (24 3/16 × 21 in.); each paper, approx: 76.8 × 65.4 cm (30 1/4 × 25 3/4 in.); 79.7 × 59 × 5.7 cm (31 7/16 × 23 1/4 × 2 1/4 in.); each frame: 79.7 × 59.1 × 5.8 cm (31 3/8 × 23 1/4 × 2 1/4 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Martina & Rhonda

1993 · Six dye diffusion transfer prints (Polaroid)

Overall (In-situ): 48 × 60 in. (121.9 × 152.4 cm) Frame (each): 30 3/4 × 23 × 2 in. (78.1 × 58.4 × 5.1 cm) Overall (framed): 61 1/2 × 69 × 2 in. (156.2 × 175.3 × 5.1 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

A Young Man Resting on an Exercise Bike, Amityville, Long Island

1990 · gelatin silver print from Type 55 Polaroid film

Image: 42.9 x 55.9 cm (16 7/8 x 22 in.); Paper: 50.4 x 60.6 cm (19 13/16 x 23 7/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

A Young Woman Waiting for the Bus, Syracuse, New York

A Young Woman Waiting for the Bus, Syracuse, New York

1985 · Gelatin silver print

Image: 30.5 × 46 cm (12 1/16 × 18 1/8 in.); Paper: 40.5 × 50.5 cm (16 × 19 15/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

David Hammons, Bliz-aard Ball Sale I

1983 · Inkjet print

Sheet: 33 × 44 in. (83.8 × 111.8 cm) Image: 40 1/16 × 29 3/16 in. (101.8 × 74.1 cm) Mount: 33 × 44 × 1/8 in. (83.8 × 111.8 × 0.3 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

David Hammons, Pissed Off

1981 · Inkjet prints

Sheet a: 33 × 23 in. (83.8 × 58.4 cm) Sheet b: 23 1/2 × 33 in. (59.7 × 83.8 cm) Sheet c: 44 × 30 1/2 in. (111.8 × 77.5 cm) Sheet d: 23 × 33 in. (58.4 × 83.8 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

A Man and Woman at an Outdoor Bake Sale, Harlem, NY

1978 · Gelatin silver print

Sheet (sight): 8 9/16 × 12 5/16 in. (21.7 × 31.3 cm) Image (sight): 8 × 11 13/16 in. (20.3 × 30 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

A Woman with Hanging Overalls

A Woman with Hanging Overalls

1978 · Carbon pigment print, from the portfolio "Harlem, U.S.A." (2005)

Image: 16.6 × 24.1 cm (6 9/16 × 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 50.8 × 40.6 cm (20 × 16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

A Woman and Two Boys Passing

A Woman and Two Boys Passing

1978 · Carbon pigment print, from the portfolio "Harlem, U.S.A." (2005)

Image: 16.3 × 24.1 cm (6 7/16 × 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 50.8 × 40.6 cm (20 × 16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Two Women at a Parade

Two Women at a Parade

1978 · Carbon pigment print, from the portfolio "Harlem, U.S.A." (2005)

Image: 16.4 × 24.1 cm (6 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 50.8 × 40.7 cm (20 × 16 1/16 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

A Woman with Hanging Overalls, from the series "Harlem, U.S.A."

A Woman with Hanging Overalls, from the series "Harlem, U.S.A."

1978 · Gelatin silver print

14 × 20.5 cm (5 1/2 × 8 1/16 in., image); 35.5 × 27.6 cm (13 3/4 × 10 13/16 in., paper)

Art Institute of Chicago

View all 65 artworks →

Artwork sources (5)

65 published of 78 catalogued · 62 with image

Art Institute Chicago
49 published49 img
Whitney
9 published
Cleveland Museum of Art
5 published
The Met
2 published
+ 1 more source · 13 catalogued, not yet published

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 5)

5 entries · 1 sources

A Young Man Resting on an Exercise Bike, Amityville, Long Island
1990 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Untitled #11 (Bent Branches)
2017 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Untitled #5 (Tree Trunk, Picket Fence and House)
2017 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Miguel
1999 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Untitled
1999 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number

Record

Images

Artsy artwork: Dawoud Bey Two Girls at Lady D’s Harlem 1976 (1976/printed later )

Artsy

Artsy artwork: 350,000 (2023)

Artsy

Artsy artwork: Angy (1998)

Artsy

Artsy artwork: Kevin (2003)

Artsy

Artsy artwork: Large Format Polaroid Portraits African American Artist Dawoud Bey (20th Century)

Artsy

Artsy artist portrait

Artsy

Candida and Her Mother, Celia, II (Art Institute of Chicago)

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

6

Movements1

Collections5

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art Cleveland Museum of Art Art Institute of Chicago Whitney Museum of American Art

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

In collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

In collection

Whitney Museum of American Art

Background

Education

Yale School of Art

Visual Arts

Empire State College

Visual Arts

Benjamin N. Cardozo High School

Visual Arts

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

No exhibitions or timeline entries yet