black art

American  

noun

1. witchcraft; magic.

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black art British  

noun

1. another name for black magic

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Etymology

Origin of black art

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

Strictly speaking, these galleries—limited by gaps in the DIA’s holdings and by space—provide only an abbreviated history of black art.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

While William Mariwi became a highly praised artist of religious iconography and Richard Rachidi the first qualified black art teacher in his home country, Malawi.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2022

It is home to one of the city’s most enviable collections of 19th and 20th-century black art, at the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum.

From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2020

The second narrative, which elevates Homecoming above self-hagiography, is the pride and struggle of black women: lines from Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde and Nina Simone place the shows in the tradition of unapologetically black art.

From The Guardian • Jun. 21, 2020

And you recall how you plunged with the Founder, the Leader, deep into the black art of escape, guided at first, indeed, initiated, by the seemingly demented one who had learned his craft in slavery.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison