BlackMan's Art Gallery
| Formation | September 30, 1967 |
|---|---|
| Founder | William O. Thomas Jr. Robin R. Thomas |
| Dissolved | 1974 |
| Headquarters | 619 Haight Street, Lower Haight, San Francisco, California |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 37°46′18″N 122°25′57″W / 37.771725°N 122.432474°W |
BlackMan's Art Gallery (1967 – 1974) in the Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco, California, was a commercial art gallery highlighting African American artists and artwork featuring images of African Americans.[1] It was founded during the Black Arts Movement.
History
BlackMan's Art Gallery was initially located at 619 Haight Street, and in 1971 it moved to 325 Haight Street.[1][2] The BlackMan's Art Gallery was founded by married couple William O. Thomas Jr. (also known as Juba Solo) and Robin R. Thomas.[1][3] Thomas Jr. was an artist himself that struggled with gallery representation, so he opened his own gallery space and recruited many of his friends to show their work.[3][4]
Artists that were exhibited at BlackMan's Art Gallery included Richard Allen, Saadat Ahmad, Francis Anastasis, John Benson, Charles Bible, Courtney Bowie, John Britton, Fred Brown, Montford Cardwell, Bernard Catchings, Dewey Crumpler, O.L. Daniels, Joseph Geran, Monjett Graham, Robert Henry Graham, Kwasi Jayourba, Marie Johnson, Leon Kennedy, Nat Knighton, E. E. Mays, Aum (Don Patton), Melvin Pierre, William Maysfield, William Morris Jr., Ben Mundine, Roho, Richard Sharp, Damballah Dolphus Smith Jr., Michael S. Thomas, Royce Vaughn, and Deborah Wilkins.[1][3][5][6][7]
For a brief period in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States, there was a period of major art galleries run by and for Black artists.[8] Other notable Black-owned art galleries during this era include Brockman Gallery (1967–1990) of Los Angeles, Gallery 32 (1968–1970) of Los Angeles, and Just Above Midtown (known as JAM Gallery; 1973–1989) of New York City.[8][9][10][11][12]
References
- ^ a b c d Zimbardo, Tanya (February 8, 2013). "Receipt of Delivery: BlackMan's Art Gallery". Open Space, SFMoMA. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ "A visit to the Black Man's Art Gallery (1968) KPIX News". DIVA Bay Area Television Archive. San Francisco State University. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Gallery for Negro Artists". San Francisco Chronicle. September 30, 1967. p. 30. Retrieved December 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tarshis, Jerome (December 1, 1970). "Juba Solo and Joseph Geran". Artforum. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Albright, Thomas (December 1, 1967). "Sculpture, Photos At BlackMan's". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 45. Retrieved December 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Exhibit of Black Artists Goes On Display Here". The Napa Valley Register. May 6, 1974. p. 18. Retrieved December 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "BlackMan's Gallery Anniversary: New Careers Were Started". San Francisco Chronicle. November 26, 1971. p. 48. Retrieved December 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Miller, M. H. (April 13, 2020). "How a Trio of Black-Owned Galleries Changed the Art World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ "Act on It! Artists, Community, and the Brockman Gallery in Los Angeles". Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art (LACMA). January 13, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ "Modern Art in Los Angeles: Gallery 32". The Getty Research Institute. January 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ "Just Above Midtown (JAM) Archives in The Museum of Modern Art Archives". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Cotter, Holland (October 6, 2022). "JAM, a Gate-Crashing Gallery, Expanded the Idea of Blackness". The New York Times.
External links
- "Art of the Black Man – A Variance of Direction". San Francisco Chronicle (Letter to the Editor). November 19, 1967. pp. 172, 173.
- Video: A Visit to the Black Man's Art Gallery (1968) KPIX-TV, via DIVA Bay Area Television Archive at San Francisco State University