May 27, 2020Nigel FreemanAfrican American Art The Elegant Sculptures of Richmond Barthé Read more about The Elegant Sculptures of Richmond Barthé Three fascinating sculptures by Richmond Barthé feature in our June 4 sale of African-American Fine Art. Each embody his interests in the 1930s, themes that would continue to define his later body of work. They demonstrate the range of a young artist who was coming into his own, embarking on a career in New York, gaining critical and commercial successes. Newly arrived from his debut in Chicago, and soon a sensation in Harlem, Barthé was one of the first African-American artists to develop a commercial career in New York.
Read more about Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of Emma Amos, 1937-2020 May 22, 2020 African American Art Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of Emma Amos, 1937-2020 We are sad to hear the news yesterday of Emma Amos’s passing. Emma Amos was a painter, printmaker, weaver and educator—a great artist and innovator who helped broaden greatly American art in the late twentieth century, challenging inequalities in both art and society with a bold figurative message. I would like to remember her life and work as best we can—through the artworks we have handled here at Swann as they introduced me to her many facets as an artist.
Read more about Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of David C. Driskell, 1931-2020 April 2, 2020 African American Art Nigel Freeman on the Legacy of David C. Driskell, 1931-2020 We are greatly saddened to hear the news of David Driskell’s passing yesterday with the email announcement from the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland. An incredibly influential figure in the history of African-American art, Driskell was a leading curator, collector, historian, painter, printmaker and writer.
Read more about African-American Fine Art: June 2020 Highlights March 6, 2020 African American Art African-American Fine Art: June 2020 Highlights At Auction June 4, 2020* *This auction has been rescheduled from its original date, and will now be held on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 1:00 PM ET, previewing online…
Read more about Cataloguing History: Why we hold specialized auctions. June 10, 2019 Auctions 101 Cataloguing History: Why we hold specialized auctions. Auctions offer a moment where the sometimes-incalculable significance of an object is quantified. The price is reached through collaboration: specialists, consignors, the market, and finally, bidders convene in the room,…
Read more about Four Unique Works by Charles White Debut at Auction October 2, 2017 African American Art Four Unique Works by Charles White Debut at Auction The highlight of our October 5 auction of African-American Fine Art is a series of unique works by Charles White that have never before appeared at auction. We spoke to our…
Read more about Specialists in the Field: Nigel Freeman at the Tate August 1, 2017 African American Art Specialists in the Field: Nigel Freeman at the Tate Nigel Freeman, founder and director of our African-American Fine Art department, is in London this week visiting some familiar images. Two of the works in the Tate Modern’s latest exhibition, Soul of…
Read more about Notes from the Catalogue: Dr. Amalia Amaki on Dr. Richard A. Long October 7, 2014 African American Art Notes from the Catalogue: Dr. Amalia Amaki on Dr. Richard A. Long Dr. Amalia Amaki, noted art historian and artist, wrote the catalogue introduction for The Richard A. Long Collection of African-American Art. Dr. Amaki, a native Atlantan, received her Ph.D in…
August 4, 2014 African American Art African-American Artists on Martha’s Vineyard Martha’s Vineyard, an affluent summer colony located on an island south of Cape Cod, has long attracted African American artists. The town of Oak Bluffs has been a favored vacation…
Read more about Barkley L. Hendricks in Conversation with Nigel Freeman at Swann June 13, 2014 African American Art Barkley L. Hendricks in Conversation with Nigel Freeman at Swann Last week Swann Galleries had the pleasure of hosting an artist talk with Barkley L. Hendricks, whose “unique work resides at the nexus of American realism and post-modernism, a space…
Read more about Records & Results: African-American Fine Art June 12, 2014 African American Art Records & Results: African-American Fine Art An auction focused on the politically charged and artistically fertile period of the 1960s and 70s, Swann Galleries’ African-American Fine Art auction titled The Shape of Things to Come on…
Read more about Assemblage Artist Noah Purifoy at Auction for First Time June 5, 2014 African American Art Assemblage Artist Noah Purifoy at Auction for First Time Swann Galleries is pleased to offer the first significant work by assemblage artist Noah Purifoy to come to auction in our upcoming sale of African-American Fine Art titled The Shape of Things…
January 30, 2014 African American Art James Amos Porter, The Father of African-American Art History Swann’s African-American Fine Art Department, writes about the catalogue cover image for the upcoming auction Shadows Uplifted: The Rise of African-American Art. The cover for our February 13 auction catalogue is…
Read more about A Previously Unknown Norman Lewis Painting September 30, 2013 African American Art A Previously Unknown Norman Lewis Painting The image chosen for the cover of Swann’s upcoming sale Point of Departure: Postwar African-American Fine Art is a circa 1957 Untitled oil on canvas by Norman Lewis. The previously unrecorded painting was acquired…
Read more about The Chicago Renaissance: Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith, & Charles White October 18, 2012 African American Art The Chicago Renaissance: Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith, & Charles White Figurative artists Eldzier Cortor, Hughie Lee-Smith and Charles White stayed true to their roots in social realism as their work evolved in the post-war decades. Unlike contemporaries Charles Alston, Norman…
January 21, 2011 African American Art Romare Bearden: Celebrating One Hundred Years Romare Bearden is undoubtedly one of America’s greatest artists. Today, his collages are viewed as some of the most unique and significant contributions to 20th century American art. Born during…
Read more about David Hammons Garners International Recognition for African-American Art September 29, 2010 African American Art David Hammons Garners International Recognition for African-American Art Contemporary African-American artist David Hammons is known for his body prints and assemblages of found objects, such as his fly swatter. His oversize version of an African-American flag hangs outside the Studio…
Read more about Bob Thompson and the 1960s New York Art Scene June 17, 2010 African American Art Bob Thompson and the 1960s New York Art Scene Bob Thompson stood apart from most of his contemporaries in the early 1960s. On one hand, he was the epitome of a New York bohemian artist working in a Clinton…
Read more about Hammons, or World’s Most Expensive Fly Swatter? February 25, 2010 African American Art Hammons, or World’s Most Expensive Fly Swatter? Among the top lots in the February 23, 2010 auction of African-American Fine Art was a unique Fly Swatter created in 1992 by contemporary artist David Hammons, which sold for…
Read more about Malvin Gray Johnson Painting in Swann African-American Fine Art Auction February 2010 December 22, 2009 African American Art Malvin Gray Johnson Painting in Swann African-American Fine Art Auction February 2010 Swann Galleries’ auction of African-American Fine Art on February 23, 2010, will offer approximately 160 lots from many notable collections and estates, including several museum-quality works. The sale’s top lot,…