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Beauford Delaney, Untitled (Woman), 1964-65, oil on canvas, 25x21 inches. Image courtesy Bill Hodges Gallery.

Feb. 13-15 National Black Fine Art Show highlights Black History Month

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Beauford Delaney, Untitled (Woman), 1964-65, oil on canvas, 25x21 inches. Image courtesy Bill Hodges Gallery.
Beauford Delaney, Untitled (Woman), 1964-65, oil on canvas, 25×21 inches. Image courtesy Bill Hodges Gallery.

NEW YORK – In celebration of Black History Month, the 13th annual National Black Fine Art Show (NBFAS) will take place Feb. 13-15 at Manhattan’s newest event and exhibition venue, 7 W New York,  located at the corner of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue, across from the Empire State Building.

The only international art fair of its kind, NBFAS will present exceptional work by African, African-American and Caribbean artists. The show offers visitors the opportunity to view and choose from a huge range of work in this undervalued field.

Josh Wainwright, founder and producer/manager of the NBFAS, described black fine art as a genre that is “… experiencing great growth in monetary value, even in this difficult economic time.”

The event will showcase the works of masters such as Edward Bannister, Robert Duncanson and Henry Tanner as well as contemporary artists like Carrie Mae Weems, Cheryl Warrick and Danny Simmons.

Gregory Johnson, 'My Daddy's Car,' watercolor, 2006, 23x30 inches. Image courtesy NCA Gallery.
Gregory Johnson, ‘My Daddy’s Car,’ watercolor, 2006, 23×30 inches. Image courtesy NCA Gallery.

Forty exhibitors from around the world will participate, including: Peg Alston Fine Arts (New York City), Dolan/Maxwell (Philadelphia,), E & S Gallery (Louisville, Ky.), Sragow Gallery (New York City), Panoptican Gallery of Photography (Boston), Lusenhop Fine Art (Chicago), (Gallery Bourbon-Lally (New York City), William Greenbaum Fine Art (Gloucester, Mass.), Intemporel (Paris), Spence Gallery (Toronto), Sande Webster Gallery (Philadelphia) and G.R. N’Namdi Gallery (Chicago and New York City).

A gala preview on Thursday, Feb. 12 will benefit The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The Schomburg Center is a national research library devoted to collecting, preserving and providing access to resources documenting the history and experiences of peoples of African descent throughout the world. From its founding in 1925 during the Harlem Renaissance, the Schomburg has amassed vast collections of more than 21 million items. It was designated one of The Research Libraries of the New York Public Library in 1972.

Palmer Hayden, 'The Session,' circa 1970, oil on canvas, 27x34 inches. Image courtesy M. Hanks Gallery.
Palmer Hayden, ‘The Session,’ circa 1970, oil on canvas, 27×34 inches. Image courtesy M. Hanks Gallery.

A cultural center as well as a repository, The Schomburg Center also sponsors a wide array of interpretive programs, including exhibitions, scholarly and public forums and cultural performances. Its traveling exhibition program makes presentations available to institutions throughout the United States and abroad.

Show attendees can take advantage of a special accommodations offer from Eastgate Tower Hotel, 222 E. 39th St. between Second and Third Avenue. If you mention the Black Fine Art Show, you can book a junior suite for $219. All reservations must be made by January 31, 2009 to receive this discount. To make a reservation, call 212-687-8000 or log on to www.affinia.com/New-York-City-Hotel.aspx?name=Eastgate-Tower.

For complete details on show and preview hours, and admission costs, log on to www.blackfineartshow.com or call 212-925-5257.