Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Ken Oden Collection of African-American Photography and Ephemera

On Tuesday, August 24th and Wednesday, August 25th, Jackson's International Auctioneers & Appraisers of Fine Art and Antiques held a notable and extensive sale of African-American photography and ephemera held by the collector, Ken Oden. As reported in an announcement posted on Auction Central News, Oden collected upwards of 40,000 pieces over two decades:

458-album collection of more than 42,000 pieces representing over 5,500 publishers and 125 different categories.

The pieces collected draw from various aspects of black life in North and South America (including the Caribbean), Africa, Asia, and Europe. The images reflect moments of achievement (both personal and social), entertainment, cultural heritage, minstrelsy, and stereotypes, among others.

The top five items sold include lot 324, an ambrotype portrait of Frederick Douglass, c. 1870s. The item was estimated at 10,000-15,000 USD, and sold for 24,000 USD. A similar image sold at Swann Auction Galleries in their February 25, 2010 sale of Printed & Manuscript African Americana for 15,600 USD.

The second highest item was lot 104, an early twentieth-century image of the lynching of Jesse Washington (Waco, TX). The image sold for 7,200 USD.

The third best selling item, lot number 6, was a photo postcard of the all-black 24th Infantry Manila League Baseball Team based in Batangas, Philippines. The unused postcard, dated July 20, 1913, features ten team members, and sold for 6,600 USD, over seven times its high estimate of 900 USD.

The fourth best selling item is a tie between lot numbers 100 and 176, both selling at 5,760 USD. Lot number 100 is a postcard of a lynching, estimated at 800-1,200 USD, and lot number 117 is a interior view of a convict's cell, estimated at 200-400 USD.

The fifth highest selling item is an early twentieth-century lynching photograph "apparently of Benny Simmons". The image was estimated at 300-600 USD, and sold for 3,360 USD, nearly six times its high estimate.



Saturday, August 7, 2010

Artists Speaking for the Spirits

Forty artists create murals at the ARTC-URI agency. "Artists Speaking for the Spirits" is located at Arthur Bennett Hall at downtown Brooklyn's Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation - Urban Resource Institute (ARTC-URI). The exhibition features veteran, emerging, and mid-career artists of African descent who explore the healing power of art through such subjects as the family, movement/performance, community, spiritual development/religion, folklore, history, politics, and satire. The artists include James Denmark, Ramona Candy, Linda Hiwot, Sonia Lynn Sadler, Karl McIntosh, Jean Dominique, Emmett Wigglesworth, among many notable others. Participating artists are collected and exhibited at the internationally-known museum level, and found in noted private collections.

Arthur Bennett Hall is located at 22 Chapel Street between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Call 718-260-2909 for additional information and viewing hours.

Left to right: Carlton Murrell, "Fall in the Park" acrylic on canvas, 10' x 5'; Che Baraka, "If You Surrender to the Air, You Can Ride It." acrylic on canvas, 8' x 5' (partial view)



Left to right: Vivian Ara, "The Healers" acrylic on canvas, 5' x 5' (partial view); Brent Bailer, "Celebrating Obama" acrylic on canvas, 10' x 5'



Charlotte Ka, "Dance - Celebration of Life" acrylic on canvas, 10' x 5'








Otto Neals, "Time Changes Things" acrylic on canvas, 10' x 5'



Haiti Through Art

"Hope Springs Eternal: A Rebirth of Haiti Through Art" is currently on exhibit at the Summit Medical Group center in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. With over 110 works on display, the exhibition features Haitian-born artists now living in the United States. A portion of the sale proceeds will be donated for relief services to Haiti through LANBI Center for Humanities and Civics, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to enhancement and development of the Haitian community. Here's a sampling of the work on display.

Jean-Marie Eliscard, "Alphabetisation" 24 x 30, oil on canvas

and "L'Exile (Exile)" 24 x 30, oil on canvas