The growth of interest in the African-American art in recent years, the specifics of this market, as well as the inevitable problems and how to cope with young black authors

HENRY OSSAVA Tanner
Grateful poor
Source: atlantapost.com

In his time on art collecting African Americans in the United States has been a taboo and works created by black people of America are not represented almost worthless to a serious collector. Now, "black" art - an important part of the art market not only in the States, but around the world. Today, several factors support the undying interest in this art. First, Barack Obama after his election to the presidency adorned the walls of the White House works of several black artists, including Alma Thomas ( more about choosing Obama and the importance attached to the American art collection of the White House, read the Julia Maksimova, "The White House will be decorated works of abstract artists» ). In addition, "black" art on a regular basis introduces its National Museum of African American visitors to history and culture. Finally, in recent years in the country's leading museums were several retrospectives of African American artists like Glenn Ligon (Glen Ligon), Barkley Hendricks (Barkley Hendricks), Kara Walker (Kara Walker), and Radcliffe Bailey ( Radcliffe Bailey).

Development of African-American art began at the dawn of the 1980s, when greatly increased the interest of buyers to the creativity of black old masters - Henry Ossava Tanner (Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1859-1937) , Charles White (Charles White, 1918-1979), Norman Lewis (Norman Lewis, 1909-1979) and many others. The successful start promoting black arts put an actor and philanthropist Bill Cosby (Bill Cosby): in 1981 he bought at Sotheby's work Henry O. Tanner, "Thankful Poor" for stunning at the time 200 thousand dollars. "Until then, the work of African Americans in the auctions do not actually appear, no one knew how to appreciate them and even how to sell them. Interested buyers of these works have always been , but the new work did not appear on the market "- said Nigel Freeman (Nigel Freeman), head of African American Art in New York auction house Swann Galleries.

But only in the late 1990s of black artists began to be perceived as a lucrative object for investment. Several years ago, Swann Galleries, one of the few houses, dealing with African-American art, has sold the product of Aaron Douglas (Aaron Douglass) for 600 thousand dollars for a 100 thousand estimeyte And in June, 2011 contemporary art at auction Phillips de Pury & Co's self-portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jean-Michel Basquiat) reached an impressive hammer price of 2.1 million pounds (3.4 million).

As today is the price for the work of African-American writers? Nigel Freeman from Swann Galleries believes that it depends on several factors: attractiveness, sales history, rarity and quality. "We, Swann Galleries, are a secondary market, so we can evaluate the work of less than in retail, where there may be large jumps in prices. But in the end, all supplements "boil" and the price will be reduced to the level of the remaining auction results, which still have to compare "- says Freeman. Specialized Department African American art in the Swann Galleries appeared in 2007 - m at the last auction in early 2011, the auction house could fetch $ 1.2 million, while only 22%of lots were left without buyers.

Yet for some fans of the market success of African-American works are not so important, they are much more important than their historical value. For example, Imo Nse Imeh (Imo Nse Imeh), professor of art at Uestfildskom State University and concurrently also an artist, believes that as art - the sphere of subjectivity, popular works - a controversial factor. Sometimes acquiring a job can save her from death, while the right buyer can make a product of good advertising and thus increase its value, says Professor Imeh. As a black artist, Imeh believes that the presence in the cultural and racial order affects its price determined by the art community. "But do not forget that white artists dominate. mainstream art - a world of white. In this world, their community control, that someone sold" - said Imeh. < /p>

But apart from the world of auctions, galleries, museums and dealers, which basically solved all white, there is a world of technology, the Internet. It has allowed many, especially young black artists to keep track of how and who sold their work and where they are used. Vázquez Leopold (Leopold Vasquez) of the company's Sound of Art, dedicated to the promotion of young authors, believes that collaborating with African-American artists have made themselves. Thanks to technology, they made contact with a large number of people and now more important for them to position themselves not only as a black artist, but as just artists.

«Despite the fact that thanks to technology," black "art is now freely distributed in the world, its protest, politicized nature does not move anywhere, it just evolves, - the professor Imeh. - The Art of African Americans today is a very interesting position, especially when we have a black president. Something has changed in how the perceived "black" work in "white" spaces . But I do not think that zero so very different from the 70's, 80's, 90's. However, climbed a big wave of multiculturalism, and now there are many kinds of "black" art. Today the problem of the existence of "black" art is it is not necessary, but now we're trying to figure out how to position it at different venues, and a clearer definition of what is "black" art ».

Prepared by Mary Onuchina, AI

Source: artinvestment.ru