Glenn Hardy Jr.

Glenn Hardy Jr (b. 1995) is a self-taught artist born in Washington, DC, and raised in Waldorf, Maryland. He is a graduate of Towson University in Baltimore, MD. He is known for alluring, powerful paintings of black life liberated from the burdens of racial stereotypes and conflict. Figures and scenes are idealized, as Hardy depicts a world of black figures existing in comfort, in moments of relaxation, enjoyment, even triumph, free from the realities of existence as a marginalized minority in America. Hardy deliberately darkens the skin tone of his figures, irrespective of the skin tone of the various subjects. Hardy’s works are chronicles of lives lived black - black talents, black “comfort”, and black voice. In a style influenced by Kerry James Marshall and Ernie Barnes, Hardy’s work seeks to subvert, transcend, and ultimately replace stereotypical, negative depictions of American black life. In 2020, Hardy had his Los Angeles solo show debut at the United Talent Agency (UTA) Artist Space in Beverly Hills, CA. Hardy had his first solo show with Charlie James Gallery in early 2022.