In 2020, TIME magazine commissioned artist Charly Palmer to create a portrait of the impact of racial injustice. The resulting 40-by-30-in. acrylic painting of a little girl faced with the injustice of today and America’s historical role in it is titled In Her Eyes. Black Art Auction is pleased to present one of the series of three paintings Palmer created for this project in its Winter Signature Sale of African-American Fine Art.

**America Must Change,** TIME Magazine, July 6/July 13, 2020.

“In my 60 years on this earth, so much has changed; however all too much has remained the same...As a Black child of the mid-’60s, my parents did all they could to shield me from the horrors of racism, especially through the unconditional love and vigilant protection of my mother, Irma Walker. They shielded me from the worst of the hate the world had in store for people who look like me. Now, as a man, I am concerned for my own children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. I worry about the Black community as a whole.”

— Charly Palmer

Illustrator, graphic designer, and educator Charly Palmer was born in Fayetteville, Alabama, and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went on to study at the American Academy of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Palmer’s work tells the story of being Black in America. His notable works include the cover art for John Legend’s album, Bigger Love, a poster for the 1996 Olympics, original artwork commemorating Fisk University’s 150th anniversary, and the same for Howard University. He has illustrated children’s books, including Mama Africa, for which he received the 2018 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award.

In 2021, a retrospective of his work, Departure by Charly Palmer. was presented at Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA.

Charly Palmer (b. 1960)