Kerry James Marshall (1955- ) is an American painter, printmaker, and sculptor. Marshall utilizes a historical approach to his work, engaging with six centuries of Western painting. His figurative works assert Black people into a Western art historical canon. His works often feature subjects with extremely dark skin, an intervention with negative associations with dark skin.  Marshall received his BFA from the Otis Art Institute  in 1978 and later was awarded an honorary doctorate, from the above in 1999.