Past Times is a 1997 painting by Kerry James Marshall.
It is made with acrylic paint with collage on canvas and measures 9 ft. 6 in. × 13 ft. (289.6 × 396.2 cm). [1]
It depicts African-Americans enjoying leisure activities including boating, croquet, and golf. Some subjects are having a picnic. Towers similar to those found in public housing are in the background. [2]
It was bought for $90,000 in 1997 by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority of Chicago from the Koplin Gallery in Los Angeles. [2] [3] It was sold at auction at Sotheby's in May 2018 for $21 million, establishing a record for a painting by a living black artist. [2] It was bought by Sean Combs and was displayed at his 50th birthday party in July 2022. [3]
It was displayed as part of the 2016–17 touring exhibition Kerry James Marshall: Mastry at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. [1]