06/16/2026
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Keith Anthony Morrison.
Jamaican-born American contemporary artist Keith Morrison was a painter, educator, and leader whose career is intertwined with The Driskell Center’s history and the university's own. He and David C. Driskell were colleagues at both Fisk University and the University of Maryland. Here at UMD, Morrison served as chair of the Art Department from 1987-1992 and briefly dean of the College of Arts and Humanities in the mid-nineties.
Morrison's vivid, imaginative paintings—filled with brilliant color, history, mythology, and fantasy—speak to African diasporic experience as well as Morrison’s unique sense of humor and narrative composition. His distinctive style is represented in major works that The Driskell Center is privileged to have in our permanent collection, including "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1989) and "Posse" (1994). Morrison’s achievements are celebrated in "The David C. Driskell Series of African American Art: Volume V, Keith Morrison" by Dr. Renée Ater.
Morrison’s artwork and influence will continue to inspire and educate for generations to come.
📸 Aaron Douglas and Keith Morrison at an exhibition of Morrison's work at the Carl Van Vechten Gallery at Fisk University, 1974. Photograph by David C. Driskell. David C. Driskell Papers, MS01.11.01.P0259. Courtesy of The Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park.
🖼️Keith Morrison, "Posse," 1994. Gift of the artist, Keith Anthony Morrison.
