A Passion for Collecting-The Vision of Louis Allan Ford

A Passion for Collecting: The Vision of Louis Allan Ford (1942-2020)

October 30 – January 29, 2022
by appt. only

Featured Artists: Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Allan Rohan Crite, David Driskell, Victor Ekpuk, Sam Gilliam, Ronald Jackson, Lois Mailou Jones, Joseph Holston, Charles Sebree, Alma Thomas, James Wells, and many more…

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A Passion for Collecting: The Vision of Louis Allan Ford is a testament to Ford’s cultural pride and the legacy he built through collecting. As a patron of the arts, Louis Ford was a familiar and beloved figure on the Washington metropolitan art scene. His passion for African and African American art is reflected in the collection he amazed of nearly two hundred items. Ford acquired utilitarian and ceremonial objects of West Africa and historically significant works of art created by prominent and emerging contemporary artists. He was also a treasure hunter and was known for discovering rare works at estate sales and auction houses.

Ford was a graduate of Dunbar High School and Howard University. He was a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Ford served in the U.S. Air Force and after a brief stint in the federal government found his niche in real estate, creating opportunities for homeownership for many African American families.

Audio excerpts: In 2010 Louis Ford took part in the Art of the Collectors II discussion at Galerie Myrtis.

Louis comments about his art collection.

Why do you collect art?

Louis visits Sam Gilliam's studio.

Exhibitions

Black and Blue – Prints in the Time of…

Black and Blue: Prints in the Time of COVID

March 3 – April 17, 2021
by appt. only

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Galerie Myrtis collaborates with master printmaker Susan J. Goldman, owner of Lily Press in presenting “Black & Blue: Prints in the Time of COVID.” Curated by Goldman, the exhibition features prints by artists expressing through the use of colors black and blue, their response to the individual and universal crisis our culture is experiencing during the political revolution and the plague of the 21st century. Black & Blue’s title refers to being beaten up and bruised by the constant barrage of the terrifying events and news of the day. Artists find solace and security in the safety of their studios, creating works of art that record, protest, protect, grieve, soothe, offering hope and beauty for humanity.

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Lily Press®, LLC is an independently owned studio that provides a variety of services to artists for the production of original, limited edition, hand-printed work.

Susan J. Goldman
Blue Oculus II, 2020
Monotype, Woodcut on Handmade Kozo
22″ diameter
Edition: Unique

Artist Talk

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe – Artist…

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe: The Contemporary Response

Artists’ Talk: Eight artists influenced by works featured in the Walters Art Museums’ exhibition Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe collate modern culture to interpret the role of Africans serving as diplomats, merchants, slaves, and rulers through an aesthetic rooted in black cultural history.

Featured Artist: Jules Arthur, Maya Freelon Asante, Nathaniel Donnett, Victor Ekpuk, Jeffrey Kent, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Mario Andres Robinson and Amy Sherald.

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Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe: The Contemporary Response - Artist Q & A

African Presence in Renaissance Europe - Jules Arthur:

African Presence in Renaissance Europe - Maya Freelon Asante

Nathaniel Donnett: African Presence in Renaissance Europe

Victor Ekpuk: African Presence in Renaissance Europe

Jeffrey Kent: African Presence in Renaissance Europe

Jamea Richmond-Edwards: African Presence in Renaissance Europe

Mario Andres-Robinson: African Presence in Renaissance Europe

Amy Sherald: African Presence in Renaissance Europe

Dr. Diala Touré: Portrait of Louise Marie-Therese

Joaneath Spicer: Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe

Galerie Myrtis Family Day 2013

Exhibitions

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe: The Contemporary…

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe: The Contemporary Response

September 27, 2012 – January 19, 2013

| artists’ talk |

Eight artists influenced by works featured in the Walters Art Museums’ exhibition Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe collate modern culture to interpret the role of Africans serving as diplomats, merchants, slaves, and rulers through an aesthetic rooted in black cultural history.

Featured Artist: Jules Arthur, Maya Freelon Asante, Nathaniel Donnett, Victor Ekpuk, Jeffrey Kent, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Mario Andres Robinson and Amy Sherald

Chief Curator: Myrtis Bedolla, Founding Director, Galerie Myrtis; Co-Curator: Amy Morton, Owner, Morton Fine Art, and Exhibition Advisor: Joaneath Spicer, Ph.D., Curator of Renaissance and Baroque Art, Walters Art Museum.

Artwork

Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Wings Not Meant to Fly, 2012, mixed media collage, oil on canvas, 36in x 36in

Jamea Richmond-Edwards, The Venus: As I Stand, 2012, ink, acrylic, mixed media collage on mylar, 25in x 40in

Jamea Richmond-Edwards, It Could be a Sad Story,
2011, ink, acrylic and mixed media collage on mylar, 89in x 36in

Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Venus: If it Don’t Make Dollars, It Don’t Make Cents, 2012, ink, acrylic and mixed media collage on mylar, 40in x 25in

Maya Freelon Asante, Defy Definition, 2012, tissue ink mono/photo print, 12in x 7in

Nathaniel Donnett, Overshadowed, 2012, plastic, 86in x 44in

Maya Freelon Asante,Do You See What I See?, 2012, tissue ink mono/photo print, 30in x 40in

Jeffrey Kent, Black Mannequins: Perceptions of Africa Series #3, 2012, acrylic and collage on canvas, 29in x 29in

Maya Freelon Asante, Actual vs. Factual, 2012 tissue ink mono/photo print, 40in x 35in

Jeffrey Kent, African Presenza Risposta Contemporanea: Perceptions of Africa Series #1, 2012, collage, acrylic and gold leaf on canvas, 18in x 14in

Jeffrey Kent, Dry Countries: The Perceptions of Africa Series, #2, 2012, mixed media, acrylic, collage, oil stick on canvas, 30in x 24in

Amy Sherald, Grand Dame Queenie , 2012, oil on canvas, 54in x 43in

Amy Sherald, Welfare Queen, 2012, oil on canvas, 54in x 43in

Victor Ekpuk, ETHIOP, 2012, acrylic and steel on panel, 48in x 48in

Victor Ekpuk, Union of Pope Clement VII and Simonetta da Collevecchio, 2012, rhinestones, acrylic and colored glass on board, 42in x 72in

Nathaniel Donnett, Do You Want Moor?, 2012, conte, graphite, color pencil and gold leaf foil, plastic and paper bags, 85in x 50in

Nathaniel Donnett, Queen B and the B Stands for Been Signing My Own Check, 2012, conte, graphite color pencil, plastic and paper bags, 32in x 51in

Mario Andres Robinson, Mrs. Johnson, 2006, watercolor on paper, 15in x 15in

Mario Andres Robinson, Charlestine, 2006, watercolor on paper, 11in x 14in

Mario Andres Robinson, The Novelist, 2011, oil on panel, 11in x 14in

Jules Arthur, Gullah Dance of Freedom, 2012, oil on canvas and mixed media collage on wood, 40in x 30in