Exhibitions at Acts of Art
1969-70
31 Bedford Street
October 1969. Black Art in America
February 1970. Group Show: J. Hill Ainsworth, Benny Andrews, Gil Edwards, Pat (Verdicchio) Grey, Moses Groves, Nigel Loring Jackson, John E. Johnson, Jr., Enid Richardson
July 1970. Lester Gunter
October 31-November 18, 1970. Benny Andrews: Drawings and Selected Works
December 4-December 19, 1970. James Denmark: Sculpture and Other Selected Works
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Checklist from Benny Andrews at Acts of Art, October 12, and account of the opening,
October 30, from his journal.
“The exhibition was a realization of a wish I’d had for a long time, rhetoric aside, and that was to break through to several different groups and make a point of proving that with good art work, a conscientious art dealer…, a good exhibition can be put on. It does not matter that we are Black, that the gallery has only 500 square feet of exhibition space, that it is hard to find, etc. What does matter at this stage of art history in general and Black in particular, is “heart and soul.” I was especially pleased to see Black people in regular Western dress, mingling with Black people in African dress, students Black & white, artists Black & white, collectors, friend[s], and passers by, all were happy to be there. It was more than my show, it was a place to meet, talk, and relax for a while. The long term gains should be to establish in the minds of the art world that Black art expertise is coming of age.” ❉
Benny Andrews, from his journal,
October 30, 1970
Benny Andrews lecturing at Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1970. Photo credit: Betsy Gallantain
“This tiny corner gallery, an eye-catcher on a deadish street, is the only one outside of Harlem specializing in the work of black artists (at least so far as its proprietor, a young painter named Nigel Jackson knows). Mr. Denmark, its current exhibitor, is a very versatile young sculptor who has filled the one-room premises with drawings, prints, terra-cotta masks, wall pieces and free standing sculpture—much of which gives me a feeling of déja-vu….The best of Mr. Denmark’s sculpture, however, is of a different order. It consists of found-wood wall assemblages whose cubistic motifs are unified by a coat of matte black paint. Yes, it does evoke Nevelson—but there’s something extra here, a kind of elegant African liveliness that lifts them well above the level of pastiche. A more fully-realized work is ‘Struggle,’ a free-standing architectural sculpture whose twisting planes are pieced of found-wood components. It’s a powerful statement.” ❉
Grace Glueck, “Art: Highlights of Downtown Scene,” New York Times, December 11, 1970
Image. James Denmark, The Struggle, 1969 Wood, 40” x 94”