Ulysses Jenkins, an American visual artist known for video art, died on February 23, 2026.
Born in Los Angeles on September 19, 1946, he developed an interest in art during the 1960s while attending Hamilton High. He left Los Angeles in 1964 to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he studied painting and drawing and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1969.
After returning to Los Angeles, Jenkins exhibited his paintings and later moved to Venice Beach in 1972, where he began painting murals and created his first mural on the boardwalk at Rose Avenue and Ocean Front Walk. His work used video-performance, music, and storytelling to examine questions of race, history, and power.
Ulysses Jenkins (September 19, 1946 – February 23, 2026) was an American visual artist, who used video-performance, music, and storytelling to examine questions of race, history, and power.