“Young, Gifted and Black” showcases artworks by emerging artists of African descent, alongside works by established artists who have paved the way for a younger generation.
The 50 works come from a single private collection, courtesy of Bernard Lumpkin and Carmine Boccuzzi, a couple who collected almost 500 works of art by mostly emerging Black artists over the past 25 years. The collection was the subject of a book published in 2020. The works were curated by Brooklyn-based artist Matt Wycoff and New York City writer Antwaun Sargent, who edited the book on the collection.
Taken together, the works reveal a spectrum of approaches to portraiture, from direct figurative representation to questioning the histories of mis- and underrepresentation and expanded notions of what constitutes a portrait. The collection also features text-based works.
On display in the LUAG Main Gallery in Zoellner Arts Center, “Young, Gifted and Black” will be shown through May 27. To see images from the exhibit, go to luag.org.
