The Myron Kunin Collection of African Art

On November 11th, Sotheby's will sell the collection of Minneapolis-based, African art collector, Myron Kunin.  Here is a video discussing Kunin's collection and some signature pieces that he acquired from various dealers in the US and Europe.

El Anatsui -- Gravity and Grace at the Bass Museum of Art (Miami Beach, FL)

At the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach is the spectacular breathtaking exhibition, Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui.  The exhibition was organized by the Akron Art Museum is on view through August 10, 2014.

The monumental artworks are made of used and discarded materials in the environment: bottle caps, tin lids, wood, aluminum plates, and other items.  Each object has a human imprint -- an object previously coveted by humans, consumed, and discarded are collected and organized under a patchwork technique to create these fluid, large-scale wall-hangings.

Originally from Ghana, El Anatsui (1944 - ) taught art at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka for thirty-five years.  He retired in 2010 to focus on his studio work.  An internationally recognized artist, he has explored themes related to the African and Western experience centering on the environment and human connections.

Gravity and Grace, 2010. Aluminum and copper wire.

 

Gravity and Grace, 2010 (Detail)

Gli (Wall), 2010. Aluminum and copper wire.

ATFA Appraisal sponsors Selebrayson Art Studio Tours, June 2014

We are pleased to announce our sponsorship of Haiti Cultural Exchange's Selebrayson Art Studio Tours which took place during the months of May and June 2014.

Earlier this month we visited the Newark, NJ studio of mixed media artist, Sophia Domeville.  Sophia's work is dynamic and we had a great time learning more about what inspires her art making and the next steps in her career.

Art studio of Sophia Domeville, Newark, NJ

Armory Show Sales Reported for Select African-American Artists

The Art Market Monitor provides a glimpse of some of the sales that occurred at the March 6 -9 Armory Show in New York City.  Among them are sales for African-American artists such as Kehinde Wiley (Sean Kelly), Mickaelene Thomas (Lehmann Maupin), and Kerry James Marshall (Jack Shainman Gallery).

One of eight glittering paintings by Kehinde Wiley offered at
The Armory Show/NYC, March 6 - 9, 2014.

Cuba's Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes - Art Theft: Links to Press Articles

At the end of February the blog Cafe Fuerte reported the possible theft of artworks from an off-site storage space of Cuba's Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.  Private dealer, Ramon Cernuda, became aware of the possible theft when art works began appearing in Miami.  See his interview in the Miami Herald, and links to other press coverage of the story on Cuban Art News.

Eduardo Abela's Carnaval Infantil - an example of work reportedly 

stolen from storage facilities of Cuba's Nacional Museo de Bellas Artes.

Bill Traylor works sold at Sotheby's Important American Folk Art Sale (Jan 25, 2014)

On January 25th, Sotheby's New York held the sale: Visual Grace: Important American Folk Art from the Collection of Ralph O. Esmerian. The 228 lot auction yielded sale results of 12,955,943 USD.  Among the lots sold were three works by artist Bill Traylor.

The lot numbers 708-710 were each executed c.1940s and were produced in pencil, ink, crayon, and paperboard.  The sale results for each are shown below.