Arstanda Billy White

Arstanda Billy White (b.1962) is an artist based in Richmond, CA. Primarily focused on portraiture, White depicts figures from his personal life and pop culture in painting, drawing, ceramics, and printmaking. He has cited Van Gogh as a major influence on his gestural painting style and bold color palette. He explains this act of homage and translation: “I'm the guy who is going to draw a picture of Van Gogh. In the painting he's yellow because that's how Van Gogh wanted it, but I put him in black. I'm going to draw the whole thing, and then I'm gonna draw my dad, the Golden Glove Champion.”

As a deeply social artist and a natural storyteller, White's works function as intimate conversations among his subjects and with his community. Beloved figures from Black popular culture, hip-hop icons, art world celebrities, and local Richmond legends share equal standing in his pantheon. 

Arstanda Billy White joined NIAD Art Center in 1994. He is represented exclusively by SHRINE Gallery, and has mounted solo exhibitions at both their New York and Los Angeles locations. Other recent solo shows include those at Adams and Ollman, Portland, OR; Mule Gallery, San Francisco, CA; and South Willard, Los Angeles, CA. White’s work has been reviewed in The New York Times, The Editorial Magazine, and Hyperallergic. His paintings are in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.