Who is John Blanke? - Michael Ohajuru

'Brilliantly illuminates the overlooked chapters of Black Tudor England' Professor Corinne Fowler, The University of Leicester 'Encourages a deeper empathetic engagement with our shared past' Professor David Olusoga, University of Manchester The groundbreaking art-history project John Blanke was a Black trumpeter to the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII, captured in two images in Tudor artwork and court records showing him receiving wages and petitioning for a wage increase and gifts Inspired by this enigmatic figure, Michael Ohajuru, a London-based cultural historian, invited over 100 artists and historians to imagine John Blanke’s world. Now, these images and words – exhibited in the British Museum and the Met in New York, but never displayed on the internet – have been curated in a sumptuous art book. From its startling black and white pages leap out the diverse perspectives of the artists, who with contrasting styles, portray John Blanke variously, among many things, as a trumpeter, a saxophonist, a focused jazz musician, and a stylish trump card. By turns dazzling and intriguing, these different artistic renditions – along with rap music, poems and prose from historians – create a dazzling permanent embodiment of a noteworthy figure currently marginalised in British history. A lasting memento of the first person of African descent in British history for whom we have both an image and a record – and of an inspiring art and historical project. Reviews The John
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