Mixed Media Work By Radcliffe Bailey & Iron Sculpture By Pietro Consagara Lead At Ahlers & Ogletree Auction

“The Magic City” by Radcliffe Bailey, 1994, mixed media, 80 by 131¾ inches, $66,550.

ATLANTA, GA. — A large and important early mixed media assemblage by Radcliffe Bailey (American, 1968-2023) sold for $66,550 and a painted iron sculpture by Pietro Consagra (Italian, 1920-2005) climbed to $57,475 during the 458-lot Art Deco to Post-Modern Art & Design auction conducted by Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery on February 23. The auction featured contemporary and Modern art and furniture, plus the private collection of noted Atlanta interior designer Bill Stewart.

The mixed media assemblage by the Southern Black artist Radcliffe Bailey, titled “The Magic City” (1994), was pulled from the outstanding collection of Bill Stewart. It was made from a combination of door, carpet, beeswax, dried flowers, iron brands, collage, tar and photographs. The monumental work, 80 inches tall by 131¾ inches wide, more than doubled its $30,000 high estimate.

“Ferro Transparente Blanco” by Pietro Consagra, 1966, painted iron, signed and dated to the base, 27¼ inches tall, $57,475.

The sculpture by Consagra, executed in 1966, was titled “Ferro Transparente Blanco.” The work was signed and dated to the base and stood 27¼ inches tall. In 1947, Consagra was among the founding members of the Forma 1 group of artists, who advocated both Marxism and structured abstraction.

A large 1988 oil on canvas painting by the French artist Andre Brasilier (b 1929), titled “Chant du Soir (Evening Song),” was artist signed to the lower right, titled and initialed en verso ($36,300). The canvas was impressive, at 38½ inches by 51¼ inches, while the frame measured 48¼ inches by 61 inches.

A large oil on canvas painting by Robert Beauchamp (American, 1923-1995), titled “Number Thirty-Seven,” circa 1982-83, signed and dated en verso, blasted through its $3/5,000 estimate to finish at $36,300. The 78-by-103½-inch work (unframed) was exhibited at the Asheville Museum.

“Number Thirty-Seven” by Robert Beauchamp, circa 1982-83, oil on canvas, 78 by 103½ inches, $36,300.

A mixed media artwork by Todd Murphy (American, 1962-2020), titled “Woman with Microphone” (1995), 96½ by 72¼ inches, was ink signed, dated and inscribed. It was knocked down for $22,990. Murphy’s large-scale paintings, digital prints and sculptures explored images of flora, fauna and bodily forms.

A Samuel Accoceberry for Collection Particuliere (French) “Rough” brushed oak dining table, with a biomorphic top and raised on rounded pillar legs, marked “CP” to underside to the top, more than doubled its $8,000 high estimate to hit $16,940. The table was 96 inches wide by 42½ inches deep.

“Hinged Poem Dress #3” by Lesley Dill, sheet copper and wire, 62 by 22 inches, $13,310.

The sheet copper and wire “Hinged Poem Dress #3” by Lesley Dill (American, b 1950), 62 inches tall by 22 inches wide, fetched $13,310. It was embedded with a quote from Catalan poet Salvador Espriu (1913-1985) saying: “I have given my whole life to words / chewed this dog hunger into a long meal.”

Selling for $13,310, an oil on canvas floral rendering of “Three Gold Iris” (1976) by Lowell Blair Nesbitt (American, 1933-1993), depicting dark yellow flowers on a stem, was signed, titled and dated. The canvas was large, at 85 inches tall by 45 inches wide, while the frame was 85½ inches in height by 46¼ inches wide.

“L’Etreinte” by Pablo Picasso, 1960, collotype with color stencil on Arches paper, pencil signed and numbered, $12,100.

What would an art auction be without Pablo Picasso? A 1960 collotype with color stencil on Arches paper by the Cubist-Surrealist master (1881-1973), titled “L’Etreinte,” was pencil signed to the lower right and numbered “122/125” to the lower left. The framed illustration made $12,100.

A Phoenix Glass Company Vaseline glass “Ruba Rombic” fishbowl designed by Rubin Haley and executed circa 1930 sold within estimate for $10,890. The bowl rested on a cast iron tripod stand with a raised geometric decoration. The bowl was 14¼ inches in diameter and the stand was 25 inches tall.

An untitled paint on wood and foam core rendering of a red shack by Beverly Buchanan (American, 1940-2015), created in 1988 and 15¾ inches tall, was signed and dated underside of the roof overhang and was acquired directly from the artist at a 1988 National Black Arts Festival. It went for $9,680.

A pair of mid-Twentieth Century Edward Wormley (American, 1907-1995) for Dunbar (North Carolina) mahogany wingback and cane lounge chairs, model 6016, featuring tufted green velvet cushions and marked “Dunbar” on decking fabric, bested their $3/5,000 estimate by realizing $9,075.

“Ruba Rombic” fishbowl designed by Rubin Haley for Phoenix Glass Company, circa 1930, Vaseline glass on cast iron tripod stand, $10,890.

A glazed ceramic vessel by Claude Conover (American, 1907-1994), titled “Octli,” 19 inches tall by 15¾ inches in diameter, was signed and titled to the underside. It changed hands for $8,470. Conover’s large pots were his best work, but he also made other forms, such as bowls, lamps and ceramic animals.

An oil and mixed media on canvas painting by Jose Maria Riera y Arago (Spanish, b 1954), titled “Red and Black Airplane” (2002), signed lower right and dated lower left, came into the auction with a modest estimate of $800-$1,600 but sold for $8,470. It was 27½ by 57¾ inches (canvas, less the frame).

A pair of circa 1960s black walnut grass-seated chairs by George Nakashima (American, 1905-1990), having a round back over spindle supports, resting on a woven grass seat and raised on turned legs, apparently unmarked, from the collection of Debbie Ellis, St Mary’s, Ga., hit $7,865.

Prices include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Next up for Ahlers & Ogletree is the March 27-28 Fine Estates auction, followed by a Fine Jewelry & Timepieces auction on April 26. Both will be held online and live in the Atlanta gallery. For more information, www.aandoauctions.com or 404-869-2478.

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LaToya M. Hobbs carves out time, literally and figuratively

LaToya M. Hobbs carves out time, literally and figuratively

LaToya M. Hobbs, “Scene 5: The Studio,” from Carving Out Time, 2020–21, woodcut on cotton paper. © LaToya M. Hobbs PHOTO: ARISTON JACKS/COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

In the age of ever-present Google calendar invites, iPhone reminders and overbooked day-planners, LaToya M. Hobbs’ impressive woodcut print series “Carving Out Time” is more relatable than ever. In the series of five woodcuts, acquired by Harvard Art Museums in 2022, Hobbs takes us through a day in her life, literally and figuratively carving out time for herself and her artwork.

The day begins with Hobbs, her husband and their two children waking up. During the day, Hobbs juggles home-schooling, laundry, cooking, story-reading and family mealtime. It’s only in the last panel, when Hobbs is alone and finally finished with the tasks of the day, that she works in her studio. This alludes to the way mothers often have to put their own needs last.

“A lot of these works in this series are talking about this idea of matriarch, my role as a mother, other women in my community, what’s been passed down from generation to generation,” says Hobbs. “And also this idea of self-preservation … we do so much to pour out and help and preserve other people. But you also have to take a moment and say, ‘What am I doing to preserve myself in the process?’”

A viewer uninitiated to Hobbs’ work might not realize on first look how complex these woodcut prints are. Each of the five works, measuring 8-by-12 feet, had to be made in three sections to accommodate the large scale. Hobbs considers the wood pieces the primary artworks, carved intricately with scenes from everyday life. The prints, made on cotton paper with a printing press, are a reflection of those original artworks.

LaToya M. Hobbs, “Scene 4: Bedtime for the Boys,” from Carving Out Time, 2020–21, woodcut on cotton paper, Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Margaret Fisher Fund, 2022.224.4 © LaToya M. Hobbs PHOTO: ARISTON JACKS/COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Preparatory drawings included in the exhibition and a video of Hobbs’ process provide a more comprehensive view of the labor involved in woodcut prints and in a series of this scale. This is the first time all five prints have been exhibited together.

“‘Carving Out Time’ is a technical marvel on a grand scale, and a powerful statement about the capacity of prints to be deeply personal and universal at once,” says Elizabeth M. Rudy, Harvard Art Museums’ Carl A. Weyerhaeuser curator of prints. “This acquisition was transformative, both for the museums’ holdings of contemporary art and for its representation of monumental prints in the long history of printmaking.”

Closer viewing will also reveal the many artworks Hobbs has carved into the interior of her home — works by Black artists like Kerry James Marshall, Elizabeth Catlett, Alma Thomas, Valerie Maynard and others. Hobbs was particularly inspired by Marshall’s work; it was from viewing his woodcuts that she decided to create this series on such a large scale, the largest she’s ever worked in.

In one scene, a crowned dinosaur by Jean-Michel Basquiat hangs above her children’s beds during story time. Though Hobbs admits Basquiat isn’t a natural choice for a children’s room, the scene gives a sense of passing on ancestral artistic knowledge to the next generation.

Young visitors can pursue a provided visual scavenger hunt to engage with the exhibition. That and other programming surrounding the show were developed in partnership with the Association of Black Harvard Women.

“LaToya M. Hobbs: It’s Time,” runs at the Harvard Art Museums through July 21, 2024. The museums are open Tuesday-Sunday 10am – 5pm and admission is always free to all.

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D&I, Department of African American Studies to host Jesse McCarthy, Harvard professor and author, for lecture on March 27

Published: March 6, 2024 Author: Staff reports

The Division of Diversity and Inclusion and the Department of African American Studies will host Jesse McCarthy, Assistant Professor in the Departments of English and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, for a lecture Wednesday, March 27.

The lecture, titled, “On Being Beside Oneself: Identity as a Limit to Aesthetic Judgment,” will be held in Baker University Theater, 1 Park Place, from 5-6:30 p.m. Faculty, staff, community members and students are invited to attend; a reception will follow the lecture.

Professor McCarthy’s research is concentrated on questions of aesthetics in African American literature, modernism, postwar literary history, comparative literature and Black studies. He is the author of “The Blue Period: Black Writing in the Early Cold War,” the essay collection “Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul?” and a novel, “The Fugitivities.” His next book, “The Blue Period: Black Writing in the Early Cold War,” will be published in April.

“The Division of D&I is excited to host the renowned Dr. Jesse McCarthy on our campus,” said Dr. Russell Morrow, OHIO’s Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. “Dr. McCarthy is an intellectual leader in African American studies and we look forward to learning from his scholarship and expertise.”

Stages of Freedom Offering Reward for Stolen Gravestone Plaque

Edward Mitchell Bannister Gravestone

Edward Mitchell Bannister’s gravestone in the North Burial Ground prior to the theft of the plaque. (Photo courtesy of Stages of Freedom)

A bronze plaque has been stolen from the North Burial Ground gravestone of one of Providence’s most celebrated citizens, and a local museum is offering a $5,000 reward for its return.

Stages of Freedom, a Providence organization that preserves local African American history and fundraises for swim lessons for youth of color, announced the theft Thursday afternoon. According to the organization, the theft was discovered this week, with the presumed motive to sell the metal for scrap.

“This is an unholy act, entering a sacred space and desecrating one of the city’s most important memorials to Black excellence,” says Ray Rickman, a former state lawmaker and executive director of the organization.”

The plaque was placed in 1975 on Bannister’s grave in the North Burial Ground following a fundraising and design campaign led by Mahler B. Ryder, the first tenured Black professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. Bannister was born in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1828 and settled in Providence around 1870. He received acclaim for his paintings and was the first African American artist to win a national award for his painting, “Under the Oaks.” He was married to Christiana Carteaux Bannister, herself a prominent resident and business owner renowned for her activism and philanthropy. (Rhode Island Monthly’s Bannister Awards are named for Christiana Carteaux Bannister.)

In recent years, Edward Bannister’s legacy has been celebrated in Providence. Last fall, a group spearheaded by the Providence Art Club unveiled a statue of Bannister sketching by the Providence River. Stages of Freedom, founded by Rickman and Robb Dimmick, has frequently celebrated the legacy of the Bannisters and is planning a companion plaque dedicated to Christiana on the other side of the river.

The organization announced Thursday it is offering a reward of $5,000 for the safe return of Bannister’s gravestone plaque. According to Stages of Freedom, police and all scrap shops have been notified to be on the lookout for it. Anyone with information leading to the plaque’s recovery is asked to call 421-0606 or email stagesoffreedom@aol.com.

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The gravestone without its plaque. (Photo courtesy of Stages of Freedom)

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How Black artists helped make country music what it is today

Francesca Royster remembers waking up the morning after the Super Bowl to numerous excited text messages from friends: Beyoncé had just dropped two new country-tinged singles, and her forthcoming album—the second act in her purported Renaissance trilogy—would be a celebration of country music.

“It’s awakened such a discussion,” says Royster, an English professor at DePaul University and author of the 2022 book Black Country Music. “Students, friends, old friends from college have been calling, wanting to talk about this topic that, for a long time, has felt like a closet obsession.”

While many contemporary music listeners’ first experience with Black country music came with Lil’ Nas X’s 2018 “country-trap” novelty hit “Old Town Road,” Black folks have been writing, performing, and recording country music since it first became popular in the 1920s. In fact, country music wouldn’t exist as it does today without the contributions and innovations of Black musicians.

“One of the biggest lies this nation has ever told is that Black people are not country,” wrote culture critic Taylor Crumpton in the days following Beyoncé’s announcement. “Black people have always lived in the country. It is where we prayed. It is where we sang. It is where we worshiped.”

As more young and emerging Black country artists receive critical attention and accolades, there’s hope that this represents a step toward a more inclusive representation of country music—rather than just a passing trend.

Country music’s legacy

The presence of Black folks in country music, while not quite universally acknowledged, is not exactly a secret. The distinctive sound of the Carter Family, the “First Family of Country Music,” was influenced in the 1920s by Lesley Riddle, a Black blues and gospel guitar player and folklorist. As a boy in the 1930s, Hank Williams learned his craft from Black guitar player Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne, just as Johnny Cash would learn from Black musician Gus Cannon some two decades later.

Black harmonica player DeFord Bailey was the first performer on the Grand Ole Opry and helped turn Nashville into a country music mecca. Thanks to the tireless advocacy work of musicians Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons, we know about the banjo’s African roots and its prominence in early Black folk music. Plus, musicians such as Charley Pride and Darius Rucker broke numerous barriers as two of the first African American country music superstars.

Rhiannon Giddens, a performing historian whose work highlights Black people’s pivotal role in making country music, sat with her banjo at her home in Limerick, Ireland, on November 10, 2020.

Photograph by Karen Cox, The New York Times/Redux

But what isn’t as often acknowledged is how Black singers, across all genres, have historically dabbled in country. Beyoncé is by no means the first. Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Bobby Womack, Esther Philips, Otis Williams, Millie Jackson, and Tina Turner (to name a few) have recorded country albums. More recently, rap and R&B artists Ludacris, LL Cool J, Nelly, and Snoop Dogg have each collaborated with country music superstars. Even so, the misconception of Black people being innately averse to country music has stubbornly persisted throughout the years.

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“As a country music fan, I did not feel safe in country music spaces,” says Black Opry founder Holly G. “It is not confusing to me that Black people have been hesitant to come into this space.”

The country music industry and White country fans alike have done little to welcome non-White artists—either by gatekeeping who is allowed to appear on country charts, refusing to play certain artists on country radio, or displaying Confederate flags at prestigious country music festivals (a practice that was only recently banned).

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Founded in April 2021, Black Opry began as a website highlighting Black country, folk, and Americana artists. In January 2022, Holly and Tanner Davenport cofounded the Black Opry Revue, an artist collective that performs around the U.S.

“I’m hoping that now, their eyes will be opened to the fact that there is a way to consume it safely and with people who look like you,” says Holly.

Holly remembers how, in the months before starting Black Opry, she would search online for ‘Black country artists,’ and the same few names would appear. Even today, most media attention continues to fall on a handful of megastars—Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, and Darius Rucker—but today’s field of Black country music is manifold.

(Discover the history of Tennessee’s forgotten music empire.)

While emerging artists like Dalton Dover, Michael Warren, Chauncey Jones, Rodell Duff, and Aaron Vance skew toward a more traditional and acoustic country sound, other singers such as Breland, Willie Jones, RVSHVD, and Tanner Adell are melding trap and R&B elements with country—a musical alchemy that can be heard on Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

Twenty-six-year-old singer and songwriter Reyna Roberts—who borrows equally from country, rock, and pop—attributes her distinctive sound to the broad scope of music she’d been exposed to as a child. “I grew up listening to country, trap, hip hop, classical music, pop, everything,” she says. “But, as a songwriter, I realized that a lot of the songs I was writing were country songs.” 

Roberts says she’s seen a dramatic increase in listeners and social media followers following Beyoncé’s Super Bowl announcement, gaining close to 400,000 new followers.

Other Black female country and roots artists, like Adell, who released the trap-country “Buckle Bunny” in the summer of 2023, and Linda Martell, the first black female solo artist to play the Grand Ole Opry, have also seen sharp increases in streams and downloads in recent weeks. 

(Here’s how the Harlem Renaissance helped forge a new sense of Black identity.)

Black Opry’s Holly G is guardedly optimistic that the current excitement surrounding Beyoncé’s foray into country will continue to inspire listeners and critics to learn about the many other talented, wide-ranging, and innovative Black country artists who have been here all along.

“There’s so much diversity even within Black country music,” she says, “and that’s what I hope people are eventually able to see and take away from this.”

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