An Overlooked History

Bravo! I applaud Suzanne Muchnic’s article “For Black Artists, a New Champion” (March 31) because it brought much-needed attention to African American art, a subject The Times has, unfortunately, covered only sporadically.

Steve Turner’s efforts are laudable. He is indeed a “new champion,” but certainly not the first or only champion.

There are many of us who have been endeavoring to focus attention on the value of African American art and artists for a long time now, presenting exhibitions in local galleries and museums that similarly cover the breadth and depth of Turner’s initial presentation--contrary to the article’s implication that his is perhaps unprecedented.

The Heritage, Brockman, Ankrum, M. Hanks and Alitash Kebede Fine Art Galleries are all venues that have put on fine exhibitions in the past and present.

In the interest of setting the public record straight, Richard Mayhew did not, in fact, show his work in Los Angeles for the first time last year, nor has his market been limited to New York, Detroit and San Francisco, as stated in the article. Mayhew showed at the Heritage Gallery in the ‘70s and had his first one-man show at the Alitash Kebede Gallery on La Brea in 1994. Indeed, I am the sole representative of Mayhew’s work in Los Angeles and have been showing it for the past 12 years.

ALITASH KEBEDE

Alitash Kebede Fine Art

Los Angeles

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I’ve been promoting and selling African American art in the Los Angeles area for 14 years, so when I read Suzanne Muchnic’s article I was surprised and outraged.

The list of statements and assertions by Turner that go unchallenged by Muchnic is fairly long, but here are a few examples. The first: Steve Turner is the only hope for African American artists in Los Angeles.

The second: Turner’s assertion that African American art has had little visibility in local museums and galleries, and that “there are a few collectors and few people who sell work by one African American artist or another, but there isn’t the kind of activity that exists in cities like Detroit or Charlotte, N.C.” Huh?

Since 1981 the California African-American Museum has dedicated itself to putting on numerous exhibitions of African American art and culture, some of which have been reported by Muchnic in the Los Angeles Times. The Museum of African American Art has been doing the same thing since 1975. Both of these fine institutions are in Los Angeles.

Moreover, since when are Detroit and Charlotte the center of African American art activity more so than New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles?

Turner and Muchnic are right about one thing though. Barriers against African Americans still exist. It seems African American art is a lot more interesting and valuable when someone other than an African American promotes and sells it.

ERIC HANKS

M. Hanks Gallery

Santa Monica